Fiji bananas kept the line going

Without shipping to take their produce to overseas markets and bring in needed imports, life in the Pacific Is lands would be close to sub sistence level. Australian shipping has had close links with the islands for upwards of 100 years, having a vital role in two-way trade.

One of these shipping lines was the Australasian United Steam Navigation Co, which closed in the early 60s, and ended her links with the Is lands before World War 11.

The story of the line is told in From Derby to Burketown, a title which rather suggests it confined its activities to trade between Western Australia and Queensland, operating over a northerly route.

Far from it. AUSN traded for many years, not always profitably, from Australia to Fiji, Norfolk Island, New Caledonia and the New Hebrides. It was an AUSN ship which carried the first chrome from New Caledonia to Australia.

Her ship ran in the banana trade, and general cargo and passenger trade between Fiji

and Australia, often in com petition with USS Co of NZ Ltd, often in collaboration.

Shipping was a tough business then, as it is now. There were negotiations with govern ments during which hard bargains were driven.

Trading with New Caledonia had its problems for AUSN. The French Government naturally favoured Messageries Maritimes, even though AUSN offered a better ser vice, and was preferred by the Noumea Chamber of Com merce. The chamber, in fact, once made a plea to the French Government asking for a particular service by AUSN as the French line was falling down on the job. The plea was ignored.

AUSN was on the Sydney- New Hebrides run for about 10 years late in the 19th cen tury, and saw a flourishing banana trade develop. There was also some copra. Burns Philp, with which AUSN was generally on friendly terms, indicated it would prefer this route, so AUSN quietly with drew.

The Fiji banana trade which helped AUSN to mak< good profits, as well as incur ; few losses, was responsible fo the line’s final withdrawa from the Pacific Islands. Th« Australian Government pressured by Queenslan<

banana growers, imposed i

prohibitive duty of Bs. 4d. cental on Fiji bananas, bu later reduced it to 2s. 6d. Tha ended the Fiji banana trad' with Australia. N.B.

(From Derby To Burketown. By N.

McKellar, Published by University « Queensland Press, PO Box 42 St Lucii Queensland, 4067. >35.)