P-Ng Merchants Go[?]

The Japanese Flood

North For Goods

The little deck-hand from U Japanese freighter “Chitose Man Looked around him in Rabaul av came out with a startling statemen “Could be like home,” he said.

HIS statement was superficial, bi whether New Guinea peop like it or not, the statement Wi based on a grain of truth.

The truth lay in the manufat tured products which he could si around him.

Parked at the kerb was a Datsb truck. Two spaces further on w: a Princess car and on the othi side of the road was another Da sun.

The man in the gaudy shirt wall ing past was carrying a Nation transistor radio. In the shop windc behind him a Mitsubishi fan w stirring the air above an opule; display of Japanese radios, tape r corders and telephones.

If he had gone a bit further I would have seen a Yanmar mark engine and a collection of Japane manufactured speedboat hulls.

He would have seen Toshiba ai conditioners plugging up the spac where louvre windows once opem to the hot street, and would hai seen Japanese calendars on t walls.

New Guinea generally, and Raba in particular, are going through boom in Japanese-manufactur imports. Japanese cameras hai long been a standby in Rabaul, b today the field is unlimited.

Fabrics, stationery, fishing equii ment, household appliances, sewiJ machines, metalware, toys and a ho of other products can be added the articles mentioned earlier.

By far the most significant ir ports are the motor vehicles. Raba is rapidly importing Japanes manufactured trucks, cars and utl ities. Spare parts made for we known English makes fit most them.

One Way Traffic One importer alone estimates th he will have 60 Japanese vehic: placed in Rabaul by the end of ti year.

Japanese foodstuffs are also fill!: a big place on the market, ps ticularly tinned fish.

Shipping between New Guin and Japan has reached an all-tiii high (for peace-time at least), ae schedules are undergoing mas changes to meet changing conn tions.