Murphy, James Francis, Chief Clerk and Accountant, Department of Home and 
Territories, Melbourne. . 
Murray, the Honorable Hubert Leonard, Official Secretary to the Territory of Papua, 
Port Moresby. . 
Musgrave, Arthur Wellesly, Chairman, Planters and Settlers Association, Gizo, British 
Solomon Islands. 
Nott, Lewis Windermere, Member of the House of Representatives, Melbourne. 
Peck, Lieutenant-Colonel John Henry, CM.G., D.S.0., Chairman and Executive 
Member of the Expropriation Board, Rabaul. 
Perryman, Beriram Benjamin, Manager. W. R. Carpenter and Company Limited. 
Rabaul. 
Phibbs, Edward Featherstone, Chief Collector of Customs, Territory of New Guinea : 
representing the Administration of the Mandated Territory. 
Ymith, the Honorable Miles Staniforth Cater, M.B.E.,, Administrator of the Territory 
of Papua, Port Moresby. 
Ymith-Rewse, Geoffrey Bingham, Briti h Resident Commissioner in the New Hebrides. 
Ipiller, Hobart, Planter and Recruiter, Menapi, Cape Vogel, Papua. 
Theile, Reverend Friedrich Otto, Director of the Lutheran Mission in New Guinea, 
Dornoch Terrace, Brisbane. 
Tracy, Francis Charles, Chairman of the Island Trade Section, Sydney Chamber of 
Commerce. 
Wallin, Frederick, Island Manager, Burns, Philp and Company Limited, Sydney. 
Walton, George William, Planter, Woodlark Island, Papua. 
Y ounger. Seorge Riccalton, Planter and Trader, Nono, Cape Marsh, British Solomon 
Islands. 
Owing to his absence from the Territory on official business, His Excellency the Lieutenant- 
Novernor of Papua, Sir Hubert Murray, K.CM.G., was not able to attend before the Committee, 
Sut on his return to Port Moresby he intimated by radiogram, in response to the Committee's 
mquiry as to whether he desired to give evidence, that he had read the recommendations of the 
Government of Papua, as submitted to the Committee, and that they expressed his own Views. 
Statements conveying their views on the shipping facilities were submitted by Mr. H. G. Eckhoft, 
Manager of the Matanatar Plantation, near Rabaul; Mr. Geoffrey BE. (lift, of the Breeza 
Plantations, Ysabel, as representative of three companies in the British Solomon Islands, viz. :— 
Clift and Clift Limited, Hivo Plantations Limited, and the Fatura Island Development Company ; 
and bv Mr. Leslie F. Gill. of Choiseul, in the British Solomon Islands. 
Pacrric ISLANDS SHIPPING SERVICES. 
Australian connexion with the trade of the south-western Pacific Islands may be traced 
hack to the early seventies, when small schooners operated from Queensland ports. In 1873 
the firm of Burns, Philp and Company Limited was founded in North Queensland, and since its 
inception has been identified with pioneering shipping work amongst the Pacific Islands. In 
L885 the company inaugurated a service from Thursday Island to New Guinea, and three years 
later it established regular communication from Cooktown to the eastern end of New Guinea and 
Woodlark Island. These services were gradually extended from Brisbane and Sydney to the 
whole of the western Pacific Islands and New Guinea. In September, 1900, the State of New 
Youth Wales entered into a contract with Burns, Philp and Company Limited for services to the 
New Hebrides, Santa Cruz, and Solomon Islands. When, on 1st March, 1901, the State Postal 
Departments were transferred to the Commonwealth. the latter assumed resvonsibility for the 
cblhoations of the State under the contract. 
Since the inception of Federation, therefore, the Commonwealth has been interested in 
nail and shipping services to the Pacific Islands, and recognizing the necessity for maintaining 
British prestige in these islands and advancing Australian commerce, more especially as contiguous 
foreign interests were particularly active in encouraging trade to their own centres, the 
Commonwealth has, from time fo time. extended the services. varied the itineraries, subsidies, and 
nther conditions. 
At different periods subsidized services have been conducted from Australia to the following 
Territories and Islands in the Pacific :— Papua, German New Guinea, Solomons, Santa Cruz, 
Filbert. Bllice, Marshall, Nauru, Ocean, Lord Howe, Norfolk, New Hebrides, and Banks. 
Although public tenders have from time to time been invited for these services, Burns, Philp 
;nd Company Limited have almost invariably been the sole tenderers, and this company has 
rondiceted all such services.