McLay eyes more from mining boom

By MALUM NALU
THE LNG and mining projects are already having an impact on businesses in Lae, according to the Lae Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The K700 million Lae port project, which begins next month, has not yet impacted on the city.
However, the chamber is optimistic of similar benefits.
Chamber president Alan McLay said there was already increased business in Lae for:
Trucking companies, logistics firms and shipping agents;   Vehicle distributors through more vehicles being bought;
 Increased imports meaning more jobs for stevedores; and   Leases for storage of containers (Morobe provincial government and Lae urban local level government to benefit).
McLay said the K700 million Lae port project “presumably means that there will be more jobs available, and hopefully local contracts”.
He is generally optimistic about the future of business in Lae.
“Given that the power and communications will improve and the roads are to be fixed, then business will continue to expand,” McLay said.
“The government must plan better for this expansion, and formalise the leasing of land. What I don’t want to see is a landless group of people, who find that greedy companies have taken all the land near Lae city.”
McLay said many new businesses had emerged in Lae including HBS Machinery (plant and equipment hire and sale), Traverse Drilling (drilling), Huon Machinery Ltd (machinery), Metier Contractors Ltd (new building maintenance), Red Rock Investment Ltd (new road contractors), and South Pacific Airconditioning (airconditioning supply and maintenance).