Japanese For

Rabaul?

News reports in June that Rabaul shipbuilding interests were currently negotiating to bring Japanese artisans into New Guinea to establish a steel-hulled shipbuilding industry seem to have surprised officials of the Department of Territories in Canberra.

The department, which would have to give approval before Japanese workmen were allowed to live in New Guinea, has not been involved in any negotiations.

However, a PIM correspondent was told in Rabaul in June by a director of the local South Pacific Development Co. Pty.

Ltd. (acting as agents for Kan barra Ship Building Co. that would provide the technicians) that negotiations were going on with the Australian Government over visas.

At present Japanese business men visiting New Guinea do so on

a six-months’ visa. It is felt that tb* B s kort period would be useless for technicians and the company would like visas for one or two years for these people. The BSIP Government already issues such visas. 11 1S believed the Australian Government’s attitude is that Japanese industry and money can be useful to territory develop ment, and there obviously won’t b e an V rea l difficulties placed in the way of organisations wanting to take skilled Japanese to New Guinea temporarily to do a . job. Japanese have been working without any problems American Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, and New Hebrides.

The steel ship-building project in Rabaul is just one of many interlocking ventures proposed by the South Pacific Develop ment Co. Pty. Ltd. The plans of this company and its completely separate counterpart in Japan will be dealt with fully in the August issue of PIM