Pacific islands monthly : PIM

Call Number
N 919 PAC
Created/Published
[Sydney : Pacific Publications, 1931-2000
Issue
Vol. 1 No. 8 (Mar. 17, 1931)
Images
12
View Catalogue

Contents

THE Pacific Islands Monthly 1
RADIO TO PAPUA Completing Pacific Network New A.W.A Station 1
NEW ADMINISTRATOR APPOINTED For Western Samoa 1
Death of Mr. H. F. Heycock Well-Known Islands Identity 1
VOLCANO ACTIVE In New Hebrides 1
Interest in Canberra 1
FIJI EXCHANGE Rates Now Revised 1
PAPUA’S FUTURE Views of Sir Hubert Murray EXTENSION OF RUBBER INDUSTRY EXPECTED 1
Money Orders to New Caledonia 1
COPRA IN THE DOLDRUMS Factors Which Have Caused Low Prices First of Series of Articles Dealing with Position and Probable Future of Coconut Planting 1 , 2
World Rubber Stocks 2
Advertising 2
Prominent Chinese Official To Visit Solomon Islands 2
Assaults on White Women New Guinea Menace Drastic Action Necessary 2
TONGA’S REVENUE 2
New Guinea Gold Yield Now Totals £835,856 Warden’s Report of Operations 2
Advertising 2
THURSDAY ISLAND NOTES Erection of Museum Delayed A Bell With a History 3
NEW BURNS, PHILP MOTORSHIP, “MACDHUI” 3
Advertising 3
BIG RIVER BORES Southern New Guinea Menace 3
N.I. Passion Fruit Pulp of Excellent Quality Examination by N.S.W. Expert 3
Conditions in New Caledonia No Employment Available 3
Advertising 3 , 4
"PROSPECTING FOR GOLD” A Book for the Tyro 4
Advertising 4
THE TONGAN ISLANDS Road Upkeep Costly Car Tax Appears Advisable Banana Crops Suffer from Flying Foxes 4
MOROBE GOLDFIELDS Comprehensive Map Published 4
N.G. Soldiers’ League Good Work Accomplished Relief for Planters 4
PACIFIC ISLANDS MONTHLY How to Order Your Copy 4
Methodist Missionary Society Annual Meeting in Sydney 5
SAMARAI GOLD DEVELOP MENT CO. 5
Advertising 5
PAPUAN NEWS Further Reduction in Plantation Costs Local Timber Now Popular Many Provision Orders Going to Sydney 5
N.G. Goldfield News Importance of Aerial Transport 5
Advertising 5
Cost of South Seas Labour 6
TROPIC ALITIES 6
Notable Men of The Pacific 6
IN AND ABOUT THE ISLANDS 6
BIG HURRICANE STRIKES FIJI Heavy Damage Over Large Area EUROPEANS IN DEATH ROLL 7
MR. H. S. KING Death in New Guinea 7
Islands Accounts Auditor-General’s Comments Difficult Time That Calls for "Sound Economy” 7
SIR HUBERT MURRAY Conference at Canberra 7
APIA CARGO REFUSED By Swedish Motorship EFFECT OF UNION BAN 7
Life in the Solomons Lecture by Dr. Firth 7
JOHN WILLIAMS V. 7
TAURI GOLD Many Prospectors Attracted GOOD REPORTS FROM FIELD 7
COOK IS- COUNCIL New Traffic Ordinance Introduced 7
Advertising 8
PROSPECTING FOR OIL Expenditure in Papua and New Guinea 8
Advertising 8
NEW GUINEA NEWS Benefits From High Exchange Rate White Man Attacked by Native Tunnel Hill Improved New Golf Course Opened 8
MT. SISA GOLDFIELDS Result of Ballot 8
NEW GUINEA WEDDING 8
Advertising 9
News From Norfolk Island Treating of Passion Fruit Pulp—New Itinerary for Morinda? 9
MINING NICKEL IN NEW CALEDONIA. 9
Advertising 9 , 10
How Fiji Is Facing the Depression Interview With Sir Maynard Hedstrom 10
Adventurous Crossing From T.I. to Port Moresby Capt. Liston-Blyth Safe 10
Beche-de-Mer Fishing The Industry at Torres Straits 10
Advertising 10
PRODUCTS OF THE SOUTH SEAS Slight Recovery in Price of Copra 11
NEW GUINEA-PAPUAN GOLD SHAREMARKET Activities of the Companies 11
Advertising 11
Market Quotations Range of Prices 11
OTHER PRODUCTS. 11
PEARL SHELL OUTPUT Restriction Agreed Upon 11
GOLD POSSIBILITIES On Bougainville Island PROSPECTORS ACTIVE 11
Oil Prospecting in New Guinea 11
Advertising 11
Shipping Services in The Pacific 12
Advertising 12

Text

THE Pacific Islands  

Monthly  

THE ONLY JOURNAL CIRCULATING THROUGHOUT THE ISLAND TERRITORIES AND GROUPS  

OF THE CENTRAL AND SOUTH PACIFIC.  

Vol, 1—No.  

Registered at G.P.O., Sydney, for  

transmission by Post as Newspaper  

SYDNEY: TUESDAY, MARCH 17, 1931  

Per Annum, posted, fl/-.  

Single Copy, 6d.  

RADIO TO PAPUA  

Completing Pacific Network  

New A.W.A Station  

THE opening of new high  

speed wireless telegraph station  

at Port Moresby on March 10 by  

Amalgamated Wireless (Austral  

asia) Ltd. marked the establish  

ment of direct communication be  

tween Sydney and Port Moresby,  

and the completion of another im  

portant unit in the wireless net  

work, which now covers large  

section of the Pacific Ocean.  

The new station at Moresby is situ  

ated in the main street of the town,  

taking the place of the old station,  

which was located at Konedobu one  

and quarter miles distant.  

The equipment consists of kilo  

watt short wave Beam feeder trans  

mitter, kilowatt coastal radio trans  

mitter, 50 watt emergency long wave  

short wave transmitter, also modern  

receiving apparatus. An idea of the  

power of the main transmitter is given  

by the fact that it is of the same  

strength as broadcasting station 2FC,  

Sydney, or 3LO, Melbourne.  

Three 110 feet tubular steel masts  

have been erected to support the spe  

cial directional Beam aerial for com  

munication with Sydney over dis  

tance of 1,750 miles.  

The opening of the new Port Mores  

by radio station is in accordance with  

an arrangement made between Amal  

gamated Wireless and the Common  

wealth Government, when Amalga  

mated Wireless took over the whole of  

the coastal stations of Australia, seven  

teen in number, also two in Papua and  

eight in the Mandated Territory.  

In accordance with the agreement  

then entered upon, Amalgamated Wire  

less has modernised—and in the case  

of Port Moresby completely rebuilt  

and re-equipped-the whole of these  

stations.  

Realising the development and im  

portance of the various British island  

possessions in the Pacific and the en  

terprise manifested by other nations in  

establishing wireless stations on their  

island possessions there, Mr. E. T.  

Fisk, managing director of A.W.A.,  

suggested to the Right Hon. L.  

Amery, then First Lord of the British  

Admiralty, that Amalgamated Wireless  

take over from the Imperial Govern  

ment all the wireless stations in the  

Fijian group, with the object of mod  

ernising and operating them as units  

of the Pacific network already operated  

by the company.  

An agreement was completed between  

the Imperial Government and the com  

pany, and to-day these stations are  

equipped in the most modern way.  

The wireless stations controlled by  

Amalgamated Wireless maintain com  

munication between Australia, New  

Guinea, Papua, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga,  

Gilbert and Ellice Islands, New Cale  

donia, New Hebrides and Hawaii.  

The aim of Mr. Fisk in establishing  

network of British radio stations in  

the Pacific is rapidly in course of real  

isation. and the new station at Port  

Moresby is further link in making  

Australia the wireless centre of the  

Southern Pacific.  

NEW ADMINISTRATOR  

APPOINTED  

For Western Samoa  

From Our Wellington Correspondent  

IT has been announced that Brigadier-  

General H. S. Hart, who commanded  

one of the New Zealand brigades in the  

War, has been appointed Administrator  

of Western Samoa, in succession to  

Colonel S. S. Allen.  

General Hart, who has been prac  

tising as solicitor at Masterton, N.Z.,  

will take over his duties on April 3.  

Death of Mr. H. F. Heycock  

Well-Known Islands Identity  

THE death occurred at Auckland on  

February of Mr. H. F. Heycock,  

manager of the Levuka branch of  

Messrs. Burns Philp (South Sea) Co.  

Ltd.  

Mr. Heycock was well-known in the  

Islands. He was accountant for  

Messrs. Burns Philp at Suva, in 1914,  

and from there went to the Levuka  

branch at chief clerk. In 1923 he was  

appointed manager at Makambo, Solo  

mon Islands, and four years later was  

transferred to Levuka as manager.  

He was proceeding on furlough to  

Auckland and Sydney, accompanied by  

Mrs. Heycock and their daughter,  

when he was taken ill. On arrival at  

Auckland he was conveyed direct from  

the ship to hospital.  

When news of Mr. Heycock’s death  

was received in Levuka, flags were  

flown at half-mast, as mark of  

respect.  

Deceased was born at Dunedin, N.Z  

He was fifty-six years of age.  

VOLCANO ACTIVE  

In New Hebrides  

ABOUT the same time as the disas  

trous earthquake in the Hawkes  

Bay District of New Zealand, Iahoi.  

volcano 2,000 feet high, in Tanna, New  

Hebrides, became active.  

Huge lumps of lava, some of the  

blocks being about 20 feet long, were  

thrown up, and fell back into the cra  

ter. No lava ran down the side of the  

mountain.  

The noise of the disturbance could  

be heard couple of miles away.  

The volcano had not been active for  

some years.  

Interest in Canberra  

From Our Canberra Correspondent.  

Much interest was taken here in the  

opening of the new wireless telegraph  

station at Port Moresby.  

The Prime Minister, Mr. J. H. Scul  

lin, regards it as of the very greatest  

importance, and says that it will greatly  

facilitate the operations of the Com  

monwealth in Papua and the Man  

dated Territory of New Guinea, whilst  

its importance from commercial point  

of view cannot be over-emphasised.  

This view is also shared by officials  

who have charge of the Islands sec  

tion of the Prime Minister’s Depart  

ment.  

The Lieutenant-Governor of Papua,  

Sir Hubert Murray, who was preven  

ted from being present in Sydney at  

the opening, was represented by his  

official secretary, Mr. Leonard Murray.  

FIJI EXCHANGE  

Rates Now Revised  

THE Fiji rates of exchange have  

been recently revised. The Bank  

of New South Wales notified the new  

rates as follows:  

FIJI ON LONDON—Basis £ 100 London.  

Buying.  

Telegraphic Transfer £ 107  

On Demand 106 16  

30 days 106  

60 days 106  

Selling.  

Telegraphic Transfer £lOB 11  

On Demand 108  

30 days =. 108  

60 days 107 16  

FIJI ON AUSTRALIA Basis £100 Fur.  

Buying £ll5 12  

Selling 113 12  

FIJI ON NEW ZEALAND—Basis £100  

New Zealand.  

Buying £99  

Selling 101  

The effect of the premium on money  

coming from Fiji to Australia is that  

merchants in the Colony purchasing  

goods here receive £100 worth by send-  

ing £88.  

PAPUA’S FUTURE  

Views of Sir Hubert Murray  

EXTENSION OF RUBBER  

INDUSTRY EXPECTED  

ACCORDING to Sir Hubert Murray,  

Lieut. Governor of Papua, who is  

on his annual visit to Canberra to dis  

cuss administrative affairs, the rubber  

industry in the Territory is once again  

in full swing, now that the 4d. per  

pound preference has been granted by  

the Federal Government.  

Indeed, he is optimistic that great  

extension in rubber planting will take  

place.  

Coffee growing is another industry  

which Sir Hubert considers has good  

possibilities. He explained that, when  

he first went to Papua, coffee was be  

ing grown, but, owing to there being  

no bounty on the product, the indus  

try did not extend. bounty now has  

been granted on this, and development  

of the industry is proceeding.  

Money Orders to New Caledonia  

THE postal authorities have notified  

that henceforth money orders  

issued in Australia payable in New  

Caledonia will be converted at the  

rate of 90 francs to the pound.  

COPRA IN THE DOLDRUMS  

Factors Which Have Caused Low Prices  

First of Series of Articles Dealing with Position and  

Probable Future of Coconut Planting  

BY R. W. ROBSON, EDITOR OF THE PACIFIC ISLANDS MONTHLY.  

London, January 25.  

When one sets out to “get line on the future of copra,” one is  

faced with some peculiar difficulties.  

It is not matter simply of talking with experienced merchants,  

discussing the probable consumption of copra products, and trying  

to make an intelligent forecast of free market. If the trouble were  

merely that copra and its rivals were in huge over-supply, the situa  

tion would be easily summed up. But it is far worse than that.  

Apart from the facts that there is general depression and that  

the copra market has been invaded in enormous quantities by various  

oil-bearing “seeds” (as they are called here), the really complicating  

factors are that the world market is now dominated by Unilever,  

one of the most powerful combines in the world; and that very  

recent development of chemical science has deprived copra of certain  

advantages which it formerly held over its rivals.  

In the course of this short visit to  

London, have called upon numer  

ous brokers and merchants who handle  

oil-seeds and study the market care  

fully; have had look over the Bal  

tic Exchange and the commercial sale  

rooms; and, through the kindness of  

these gentlemen and various friends,  

have gathered mass of information  

which shall try to co-ordinate for the  

benefit of the thousands of men in  

the South Seas whose future welfare  

is bound up with the future of copra.  

It is not possible to summarise this  

data, and my conclusions, in one article.  

In the course of short series, publish  

ed monthly, shall give what informa  

tion have concerning the present con  

dition of the copra market; the charac  

ter and quality of other oil-seeds which  

are increasingly competing with copra;  

the serious effect and nrobable future  

of the new whale-oil industry; the his  

tory, present effect and probable future  

of the Unilever combine; and what (in  

the opinion of the London and Ger  

man observers) is likely to be the con  

dition of the copra industry in the  

future.  

As the last-mentioned is likely to  

be the last article of the series,  

and our readers will naturally want  

to know what conclusions students  

of the market have reached, will  

say at once that it is not expect  

ed that growers will for years, if  

ever, again see prices very much  

over £20 per ton; but that there  

is quite good future for those  

growers who can make profit on  

price over £10 to £11 per ton  

f.o.b.  

We know that the primary factor in  

the buyers’ domination of the copra  

market is the enormous over-produc  

tion, first, of copra and, second, of sev  

eral oil-seeds and oils, which are in  

active competition with copra. But few  

people in the South Seas have seen  

the figures. After considerable trouble  

obtained figures from Germany  

(which specialises in these kinds of  

statistics) and from one or two Lon  

don brokers, which enabled me to com  

pile the following table, showing world  

production:  

The 1930 figures, not available yet in  

detail, show the same upward tendency,  

understand. No comment is needed  

—the thing speaks for itself. And this  

huge mass of oils and oil-bearing sub  

stances was thrown into the market  

just when the world, lethargic under  

an unprecedented economic depression,  

was reporting decreased consumption  

of practically every commodity.  

The wonder is that it has been pos  

sible to sell our copra at all, at any old  

price. Yet one London broker, only  

few days ago. said: “While prices  

have been at ridiculous levels, every  

bit of copra that has come in has been  

sold. There are no great stocks of oil  

seeds awaiting buyers in this part of  

the world.” That, think, is very  

important point to remember when we  

come to consideration of Unilever  

and the future of the market.  

With regard to copra, here are some  

interesting figures showing shipments,  

in tons, from the various main pro  

ducing countries of the world, in 1920  

and 1929, as shown in the fine “Re  

view” issued by Prank Fehr and Co.:  

Those figures, be it noted, do not  

include South Seas production. As  

matter of fact—but do not know  

why—none of the various compilations  

gathered up in London and Germany  

take South Seas copra into their cal  

culations. In one place. saw it  

vaguely referred to as “about 140.000  

tons per annum.” believe it is good  

(CONTINUED ON PAGE  

glimpse of Port Moresby, the capital of  

Papua.  

busy sceen in Dairen Harbour, Northern Manchuria. Screening and sacking Soya beans, ready  

for shipment.  

1925-26  

1928-29  

Tons  

Tons  

Copra  

625,751  

910.908  

Palm-kernels  

487,796  

458,907  

Ground-nuts (Peanuts)  

1,250,918  

1,375,799  

Soya Beans  

1,683,384  

2,588,574  

Linseed  

1,473.325  

2.034,525  

Whale-oil (Barrels)  

1,044,272  

1,861.877  

Philippines  

1920  

32,148  

1929  

178,018  

Java  

42,638  

52,888  

Macassar  

49.523  

92.869  

Padang, Sangir. etc. ..  

34,399  

138.000*  

Other Dutch E.I  

109,600*  

186,112  

Straits Settlements ..  

112.430  

Cevlon  

68.044  

101,453  

Malabar  

1,470  

—  

Total  

340.652  

858.340  

•Estimated.  

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(1931). Pacific islands monthly : PIM Retrieved February 16, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-333533229

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Pacific islands monthly : PIM [Sydney: Pacific Publications, 1931. Web. 16 February 2025 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-333533229>

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1931, Pacific islands monthly : PIM Pacific Publications, [Sydney viewed 16 February 2025 http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-333533229

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{{Citation
  |
  | title=Pacific islands monthly : PIM.
  | year=1931
  | section=v. : illustrations ; 28-42 cm.
  | issn=0030-8722
  | issue=Vol. 1 No. 8 (Mar. 17, 1931)
  | location=[Sydney
  | publisher=Pacific Publications
  | url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-333533229
  | id=nla.obj-333533229
  | access-date=16 February 2025
  | via=Trove
}}

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