NEW GUINEA PLANTATIONS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19783, 7 May 1926, Page 12

NEW GUINEA PLANTATIONS.

FORMER GASMAN PROPERTY. ’ bold by .tendering. REJECTION v OF MONOPOLIES. (Tbou Oob Own Correspondent.) SYDNEY, April SO. The sale by tenders of former German expropriated plantations and trading stations in the mandated territory of New Guinea excited interest throughout the world, and the results of the tenders have just been announced by the Prime Minister (Mr Bruce). In all 46 plantations and 87 trading stations were oSered, and tenders for 20 plantations, aggregating £210,510, and for 73 stations, totalling £10,643, were received. Tenders were received for 23 other plantations, but not accepted, though they are likely to be disposed of by private treaty with the unsuccessful tenderers. Three tenders wete received for the whole of the properties in the territory, and 322 tenders came to hand for individual properties, or for a number of those properties in one lot. Many of the tenderers took advantage of the system which permitted them to name properties in order of preference, with the object of purchasing only one of them. The 325 tenders came from 66 persons or companies, and of these no fewer than 54 were Australian soldiers. General satisfaction was expresed by the Federal Cabinet with that so many returned soldiers tendered for the properties. The Ministry desires to carry out to the fullest extent the spirit of the mandate, and to advance the interests of the native population. Returned soldiers, it was considered, would make excellent settlers for the territory, and they should give a stimulus to its development. Because the Ministry con sidered that the best interests of the terntory would be served by the establishment of many plantation owners, it had rejected all of the three tenders for the properties, as a whole. None of these three tenders were openly German in origin, as conditions of sale forbade any company tendering whose shareholders were not at least two-thirds British, but it is believed that the Germans took full advantage of the fact that they could possess one-third interest in a tendering company. This was one of the reasons which probably influenced the Ministry in living preference to individual tenderers. Apart from this aspect, it was believed that monopolistic control of the territory would not be in the best interests of the territory, as tho company holding the monoply would obtain a dominating influence in its attains. A special officer has been sent from Melbourne to report on the tenders t^ e -" e f t meeting of the Mandates Com mission of the League of Nations.