Community Life Is Pleasant Where

A Model Town Within a Dictatorship

Timber Is Displacing Gold

From R. W. Robson, in New Guinea

THE efficiency and orderliness with which the considerable town of Bulolo (Morobe area of New Guinea) is controlled may provide one reason for the stubbornness with which Dictator Hasluck opposes enterprise by individual Europeans in the Territory, and encourages the big corporations.

Bulolo town, as everyone knows, svas established some 30 years ago as quarters, with full amenities, for the European and native staffs operat ing the eight big dredges and the private air service of Bulolo Gold Dredging Ltd.

Then the gold petered out, and BGD Ltd. since World War II has turned its vast resources over to iimber-production based on the sur •ounding forests of Hoop and Dinkii pine.

But in order to get the licences, BGD had to enter into a 50-50 jartnership with the Australian jovernment.

For timber production, huge equip ment was installed. Under one roof, upon concrete floors which cover acres, machines seize the pine logs as they come out of the natural forests; strip them of bark; cut them into suitable lengths; peel them into veneer strips (which are stream dried and rolled up like blankets); trim and arrange the veneer strips into plywood; glue the plywoods together; weigh and polish and grade the plywoods; grade them for sale —BO or 90 per cent, of these opera tions are automatic, and a triumph of machine-making skill.

Now, there is only one dredge (No 5) working on the flats at Bulolo— the others are all cut out. BGD is sluicing in two places. But both European and native staffs are bigger than ever (there are 180 Europeans and 250 natives in the plywood factory alone) —and the Administra tion, which maintains a sub-district office at Wau, seems content to leave

the care of the whole community— physical, mental and moral—to the Company.

THE Europeans live in a well roaded, well-watered, well-lit town. Attractive bungalows, set in spacious gardens and lawns, are

provided at nominal rentals. There is abundant light and power from the big Baiune hydro-electric station.

There are schools for 100 primary and 40 kindergarten children; bowl ing (175 members, 80 associates), tennis and golf clubs for the men; clubs and plenty of native servants for the women.

There is an equally model town for the natives, and ground in which they grow almost every kind of fruit and vegetable, in a dry, equable climate. I saw coconuts, sugar-cane, oranges, maize, fowls, ducks, pigs—all flourishing.

From the point of view of com fort and orderliness, it is New Guinea’s model community—and the Administration has nothing what ever to do with it, except exercise a nominal supervision.

Except for a small Burns Philp store, there are no traders or tradesmen —everything is provided, at a fraction over cost, by the Company.

There are an Anglican and a Roman Catholic Church.

This Company now has established the Territory’s best hotel. It is on a ridge alongside Bulolo town, and consists of a score of “dongas” (private bungalows very comfortably equipped) and a central building which houses lounges, dining-room and bar. This is certain to attract a high-class tourist traffic.

There is a cinema three times a week.

This BGD service or CNGT Ltd., (as it is now) is something right out of this world. A man who enters it, and gives to it his working life is (a) economically secure; (b) housed and serviced in a good climate on a very high standard; (c) given opportunities to live pleasantly under conditions where he cannot squander his earnings; (d) given

generous annual leave; (e) guaran teed a pension on retirement; (f) is clear of the horrors of income tax. The BGD service has every thing except freedom and oppor tunities for individual enterprise. It is a first-class example of the benevolent, authoritarian state which, in this tortured world, appeals so much to the Hasluck mind.

Pulping is Possible AS the new combination of BGD and Commonwealth Govern m e n t (Commonwealth New Guinea Timbers Ltd.) removes the pine trees from the surrounding langes in ever-increasing numbers, the P-NG Forestry Department follows on behind with planned re afforestation. This probably is New Guinea’s outstanding example of smooth governmental-private enter prise co-operation.

The hillsides are completely cleared of jungle growth. The pine logs go to the mill, the balance is burned.

But the possibility of using most of this substantial second-class growth for pulping is under in vestigation, with every possibility that something substantial may here be contributed to a new paper making industry.

The Forestry men take over the bare hillsides; and, from the large nurseries they maintain hereabouts, the areas are planted on a systematic pattern, so as to ensure rapid, controlled and protected future growth of the forests, in stead of the former uncontrolled and wasteful jungle growth.

The Klinkli Mystery SOMETHING very interesting has been discovered here. It would appear that, for reasons upon which the scientific botanists are not yet agreed, the Klinkii Pine practic ally ceased to nropagate itself a long time ago. The existing forests consist mostly of well-m a t u r e d trees —there are very few youngsters.

After much experiment, the Forestry people have got the Hoop Pine nurseries going nicely, and the young Hoop Pine plantations cover the hillsides in various stages of lusty growth. But the young Klinkii Pines are seen in very small num bers—the problem of Klinkii propa gation is on the way to being solved, but the botanists have not yet claimed real success.

Both are excellent pines, but the experts give a shade of odds in favour of Klinkii.

If gold had not brought the Euro peans into this country, and then turned them towards timber, this unique and indigenous Klinkii Pine night have disappeared altogether.

A Kind of Endless Cycle IT looks like an endless cycle for CNG Timbers Ltd. By the time the natural forests of Hoop and EOinkii are out, the replanted forests will be ready for cutting.

Fhe world seems to want more and wore plywood. Much of this Bulolo product goes to United States, and is a comforting dollar-earner for Canberra.

There are other stands of Hoop md Klinkii here and there about

the Highlands of this eastern end of New Guinea.

They probably will be worked, as they become accessible, by in dividual timber millers, who look for pine, but who will saw up any thing for the local and nearby markets, all of them ever hungry and unsatisfied.

Other Sources of Timber Enterprising Robert Wilson and Don Levine, who have been operating as Golden Pines Ltd. on the edge of the BGD area now are moving into the Bulwa area. Bulwa, on the Watut River, looks from the air like an outer suburb of Bulolo.

Golden. Pines Ltd. is spending £7O 000 on a lirst-class mill, and g^l ? g *J lght ■}? amon g big timber, which they will road to Lae.

The tireless Joe Bourke has estab lished a new cordial factory at Bulwa, and the place is growing TTie large gravel flats of Sunshine Gold, still sluicing profitably are only a little way below Bulwa.

Pine timber products now will come in also, in steady volume, from hiew Guinea Gold Limited which (like BGD), turned some its at tention to timber after the war and which, after a long, hard struggle with high officialdom—which could see merit in nothing outside of BGD —now has been given a much wider area from which to cut pine. (Over)

NGG Ltd. now is putting its eggs into several baskets—notably, gold, timber and coffee—and is the economic backbone of Wau.