Burns Philp (properly Burns, Philp & Co, Limited) was once a major Australian shipping line and merchant that operated in the South Pacific. When the well-populated islands around New Guinea were targeted for blackbirding in the 1880s, a new rush for labour from these islands began. James Burns and Robert Philp purchased several well-known blackbirding ships to quickly exploit the human resource in this region, and Burns Philp entered the slave trade. The company ended its involvement in blackbirding in 1886. In later years the company was a major player in the food manufacturing business. Since its delisting from the Australian Securities Exchange in December 2006 and the subsequent sale of its assets, the company has mainly become a cashed up shell company. It is wholly owned by Graeme Hart's Rank Group (not to be confused with the British company of the same name). History In April 1883 James Burns and Robert Philp began a trading partnership, originally named the "Burns, Philp & Company Limited". They were the first company to offer tourism to New Guinea, in 1884, advertising the 'New Guinea Excursion Trip'. This consisted of a five-week trip from Thursday Island and has been described as the "official beginning of tourist cruises in the South Pacific". The company later published a book titled Picturesque Travel, with the first issue appearing in 1911 and the last in 1925. Sir Robert Philp twice became Premier of Queensland, while Sir James Burns, became a member of the Legislative Council of New South Wales and founder/benefactor of Burnside Presbyterian Homes for Children. Up to 1903, Burns Philp operated as merchants and shipping agents in the Pacific Islands, as well as providing a mail service and carrying tourists to Papua New Guinea, New Hebrides and the Solomon Islands. In 1904, Burns Philp began to acquire plantations and land to develop into plantations in the British Solomon Islands. In 1914 the Burns Philp Tourist Department was established, advertising tours on Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island. Acquisition of the Port Moresby Hotel occurred in the same year, with the Papua Hotel purchased some years later. Burns Philp "maintained a near monopoly on passenger services to Melanesia until the outbreak of the war in the Pacific". During this period the company had a dominant role in trade in the region distributing general merchandise and collecting copra. By 1916, Burns Philp was operating 7 plantations in