Pacific Islands Monthly - 19 January 1945

N. Guinea The Guinea Airways Development is Surprising

IF and when air transportation is .restored in New Guinea, the situa tion will be very different from what it was at the end of 1941, when the Japs invaded.

Then, there were two major companies (Guinea Airways and Carpenter Air ways) and a couple of small operators, including Stephens Aviation Company.

W R. Carpenter & Co., operated the Sydney-Rabaul weekly airmail success fully, and without accident, from May, 1938, until January, 1942; and its sub sidiary, Mandated Airlines, Ltd., operated within the Territory.

Now, W. R. Carpenter & Co., Ltd., have sold the Sydney-Rabaul service to Qantas, Ltd.; and Guinea Airways are in a tur moil, following a proposal by the directors to merge with Australian National Air ways, and the rejection of that plan by

the shareholders.

Conditions in New Guinea have changed. During military operations, large new airfields and good highways have been built in many places; and a new motor road has been constructed from the mouth of the Markham up into the northern end of the Bulolo Valley, thus providing road transport for the heavy freight which, from 1928 until 1942, was the backbone of the business done by the aerial transport companies. Planes will be needed in New Guinea and Papua in the future, for passengers, mails and urgent freight; but the conditions gen erally will be very different.

In these circumstances, the wisdom of the directors of the old companies in protecting their capital and tying in with the big Australian companies, is appar ent, and needs no elaboration.

THE future of Guinea Airways now is quite obscure. This company, with an original capital of only £50,000, courageously pioneered the air transport business in New Guinea, and made the development of the Morobe field possible.

Its annual profits—they were in the neighbourhood of 50 per cent. for some years—were in accord with the richness of the field. Then came bitter competi tion, and profits fell, and the company found itself with surplus plant. Just when the position was becoming difficult, the company found an exceedingly cap able managing director in H. Morris Smith; and he quickly brought the sur plus plant to Australia, established the Adelaide-Darwin air service, and went after mainland business. He was just in time to become established, before war came. Through his great energy, drive, and success in dealing with Govern ments, he kept Guinea Airways in the profit-earning class, even after the New Guinea wipe-off in January, 1942.

Then Morris Smith, with the senior directors, arranged a merger between Guinea Airways and Australian National Airways, on terms which kept the GA capital intact, and guaranteed share holders a fixed 6 per cent. Guinea Air ways always had been lucky—and this seemed to represent the final and super lative stroke of luck. To the amazement of everyone who knows anything about the general situation, both in New Guinea and in Australia, the sharehold ers, on January 12, rejected the plan.

Messrs. A. J. Hancock (chairman), H.

Morris Smith (managing director), and C. V. T. Wells (former chairman) promptly resigned; Mr. Lapthorne, who opposed the merger, has not resigned;

and the intentions of Mr. L. V. Waterhouse, who is abroad, are not known.

All these are names well known in New Guinea and Papua before the invasion.

It is a dismal development in a con cern which, on the NG goldfields in the roaring thirties, was better known and more intimately connected with daily life than even the ubiquitous Burns Philp.

QANTAS, LTD., is really an Australian company, holding the shares of a series of operating companies. W.

R. Carpenter & Co., Ltd., now are the biggest shareholders in Qantas, and Burns, Philp & Co., Ltd., the second biggest—so Qantas planes are likely to be a familiar sight in the Pacific Territories of the future.

Mandated Airlines, Ltd. (Carpenter owned) has remained in existence, though all operations are suspended. It probably will receive substantial war damage com pensation. Its future, presumably, will depend on post-war developments in New Guinea.

Mrs. Alice Hooker, a former well-known resident of Fiji, recently celebrated her 93rd birthday in New Zealand.

Mr. Colin Belcher, of the RAF, formerly of Fiji, recently received his commission as Flying Officer.

The New Guinea Lutheran Mission Board has accepted candidates L. Altus and €. Eckermann with a view to train ing them for work in the New Guinea mission field.

Mrs. Roberta Iris Williams died in Suva, Fiji, on December 4. She was only 32 years of age and had been born and educated in Fiji. Her husband, Sgt, M. J.

Williams, is a member of the NZEF. Her mother, Mrs. G. R. Anderson, lives in Suva.

New Fiji Governor

—Photo by Bob Wright.

The new Governor of Fiji and High Commissioner for the Western Pacific, Mr. A. W. G. H. Grantham, CMG, landing from a plane in Suva, on December 31, 1944, to take up his new post. (See article on page 25.)

Britain's Pacific

Colonies

Reconstruction Plans

THE following statement was made in the House of Commons in August by the Secretary of State for the Colonies: In Fiji a Reconstruction Commissioner has been specially appointed, and there are plans under consideration for land settlement and the development of health and education services. Other plans are in preparation.

In the British Solomon Islands surveys of mineral, forest and soil resources are about to be undertaken with assistance under the Colonial Development and Wel fare Act as soon as the necessary expert personnel can be found. Plans for the economic future of the Territory will be based on the results of these surveys.

In the Gilbert and Ellice Islands little economic development is possible owing to the extremely small area and barren soil of these coral atolls, but plans are in mind for the improvement of educational facilities, including higher education, and for medical and technical training to provide the essential background which will enable the local administrations to be more fully developed.

THE Gilbert and Ellice Islands Labour Corps is a young but very keen mili tary unit which is playing a leading part in implementing the Colony’s re habilitation programme after Japanese occupation.

Already (September, 1944) the Corps has built a fine central native hospital and is about to begin work on the con struction of a new leper station and a mental hospital. To the Corps will also fall the task of rebuilding villages des troyed by enemy action or removed from original sites to make way for military installations.

Pta Will Entertain

Harbour Cruise for Territorians

rE Pacific Territories Association will entertain members, and other ex residents of Papua and New Guinea and their families in Sydney on the even ing of February 23. The PTA has chartered one of the Sydney ferries and guests will be taken for a cruise on the harbour.

Territorians whose only social contacts were once through the medium of “boat day” and the periodic visits of inter island or Australian ships, should feel that the real New Guinea atmosphere is being created for them in this novel entertainment.

Further details of the function will be circularised among members and will also appear in the February issue of “PIM.”

Tng Men On A Tng Job

(From a Private Letter) NEW Guinea men a.re somewhat busy in New Guinea, at present.

E. B. Ayris, of Wau, foregathered recently with George Whittaker and Tommy O’Dea. The former is an ANGAU official at Finschhaven, and the latter is a Lieutenant in the RANVR, doing liaison work.

Jimmy Wright, formerly Goldfields, is now a Lieutenant up there. Bill Brazier (Rabaul and Wau) and Sid Young are in the same vicinity.

Fate of Papua’s Government Apparently

pp. 8-9

Awaits Outcome of Barry Inquiry

(See also article on p. 41)

THE question of when civil government is to be restored to Papua, and civi lians permitted to return, appears to be closely linked with the “mystery inquiry” now being made by Mr. Barry, Melbourne KC, concerning the circum stances surrounding the cessation of civil administration in Papua in February, 1942.

Nothing at all, so far as is generally known, is being done to prepare for the return of civil government. People who know something of the undercurrents say that the Army is opposing civil restoration on the following three grounds: ® Control over bases in Papua is needed by the Army in order to facilitate opera tions in the Mandated Territory, where the AIF is now settling down to the task of rooting out the Jap armies by-passed and isolated by the American-Australian advances in 1943-4. • The Territory of Papua and the lib erated parts of the Territory of New Guinea are now being administered as one area by the Army-controlled ANGAU, comprising officials from both Territories: and, as the Papuan administrative sys tem has been completely abandoned in favour of a composite system, it would be most difficult and inconvenient to remove ANGAU from Papua, and permit the old civil administration to resume its func tions. • The basis of this administration is transport. The Army must have com plete control over all transport so long as operations are proceeding in New Guinea.

Which makes out a good case, calcu lated* to impress a Canberra Minister But the facts are: There is nothing to prevent the Army having the fullest con trol over all bases required in Papua just as it has over bases, further south’ in the State of Queensland. In the inter ests of the civilian Europeans and the Papuan natives, it is urgent that civilian government be restored. If this is not done soon, many hundreds of blameless planters, miners and traders, many of whom pioneered this country for Austra lia, will be hopelessly ruined. The social structure and morale of the ' Papuan natives, so carefully protected and trained during 40 years by MacGregor and Mur ray, are being destroyed by the present regime, with its ruthless system of forced labour. The “difficulty and inconveni ence of switching back from ANGAU to civil administration will be more than Ced A^A h TT econ 9 mic benefit to Aus tralia. ANGAU now is using 8, or 10, or 20 men where the civil administration employed only one or two. The present cost of administering Papua must be staggering: but details are all hidden Expe y ndSure.’’ <DePartment ° f the Ar^~ brass hats are suspect AN important reason why civil adminis tration should be restored is that the motives of certain Army heads in Papua are suspect. Ever since the Jap invasion if not before-they have dreamed of the day when the war would be over; the two Territories thrown into oSt e: to n ?hp at R admir ii St . rative jobs handed »fS of 6 th?ir aS s S tep Wh ° haVe been And events have developed In their favour. There Is little left of the civil administrations of. New Guinea and Papua. Owing to the monstrous bungling

of certain high officers (of whom much more will be heard when National Security permits!) a large proportion of New Guinea’s administrative heads were trapped in Rabaul when the Japs invaded; the civil administrator of New Guinea (Sir Walter McNicoli) has retired' a considerable proportion of Papua’s senior officials have retired, through one cause and Another; and apart from Papua s civil administrator (Mr. Leonard Murray) there would be only a handful 9f senior officials left to fill the principal jobs, if civil administration were restored in both Territories to-morrow.

If Mr. Murray and his senior officials were out of the way, there is little appar ent reason why ANGAU should not change over from wartime zo peacetime establishment, and govern the two Ter ritories as the new civil administration— complete with its present directing coterie of high-ranking and highly-paid Brass Hats!

And that is why the present unexpected Roya! Commission into the circumstances of February, 1942, is suspected of being inspired and supported by the Brass Hats.

If it is not, then it is a singular coinci dence, because it comes as a complete surprise (until now, nothing had been heard by the public of any failure by the Papuan Administration in February 1942); it is so arranged that it places the Papuan Administrator and his senior offi cers in the position of defendants; and, if the latter are found guilty, then the way presumably is clear for a clean sweep of the old Papuan Administration.

Angau Personnel

THIS comment and criticism must not be construed as an attack upon the personnel of ANGAU. The ANGAU set-up is ridiculously over-staffed and very expensive; but that is a characteris tic fault of Brass Hats. The men who are carrying out the jobs allotted to them have nothing to do with the basic organisation.

Gathered within ANGAU, now are a larfre proportion of the former public ser vice personnel of Papua and New Guinea and a large number of young men who were engaged in commercial occupations in those Territories, and whose services have been obtained for this semi-militarv job. No pulbic criticism of the quality of these men, and the way in which thev carry out their duties, has been made— except that there are far too manv of them.

ANGAU men, individually, are held in respect by all who have had contact with them—especially those lads who have been “taking the rough stuff” out in the jungles.

Criticism is directed against certain Brass Hats who, knowing nothing what ever of the Territories or of tropical administration, originally went to Papua and New Guinea upon military duties who—as was predicted at the time by this newspaper—cast a covetous eye upon the principal administrative iobs around the place; and who have used ANGAU to put themselves into line for permanent appointments after the war.

It is an extraordinary fact—and one upon which we commented long before wartime conditions threw civilians gen erally into the arms of the militarist and the bureaucrat—that every old soldier above the rank of colonel, and most of the e-entlemen who have been tossed out of Parliament, imagine that they are

qualified in some Heaven-born way to become administrators of tropical terri tories. They have been the curse of the Australian and New Zealand Pacific Ter ritories fo,r three decades, and we fear we

are not finished with them yet. The pacific Territories of Britain and France are administered, as a matter of course, by men who have been trained all their lives in administration, and who rise through the colonial services by merit.

The Barry Inquiry

AS was reported here last month, the inquiry of Royal Commissioner Barry was opened in Melbourne in Decem ber, and was continued in Sydney on January 4. A large number of persons, including the Civil Administrator of Papua (Mr. Leonard Murray) and his senior officers, gave evidence, in that and the following week. The Commissioner and his assistants have now gone to Port Moresby, where evidence is to be taken.

When the Commissioner sat in Sydney,

an urgent plea was made to him to per mit evidence to be taken in public, so that the Australian people might know something of the matters under consid eration. The Commissioner, however, deeded that all proceedings must be in camera.

Terms of reference are as follow: John Vincent Barry, KC, is appointed a Com missioner to inquire into, and report to the Minister for External Territories on the follow ing matters, being matters in relation to the public safety and defence of the Commonwealth and the Territories of the Commonwealth: (1) All the circumstances relating to the suspension of the Civil Administration of the Territory of Papua in February, 1942. (2) Without restricting the generality of 1, the following particular matters: (a) Whether the Administrator and/or any members of the Legislative Council and/or any members of the Executive Council of Papua failed in their public duty to safeguard the Territory; (b) Whether any action taken or omitted to be taken by the Military Com mandant of the Bth Military District prior to noon on 14th February, 15’42, contributed to any failure on the part of the Civil Administration of the Territory; (c) Whether there was adequate co operation between the Civil Adminis tration and the military authorities in the Territory and, if not, who was re sponsible for the absence of such co operation; and (d) All other matters deemed relevant to the above.

The Commissioner will report to the Minister for External Territories, Mr.

Ward. Mr. Ward, of course, must take the report to Cabinet. After that, some decision will be made, presumably, regard ing the return of civil administration to Papua, and the personnel of that administration.

Departmentalism is notorious for its dilatory methods. There has been no haste in this matter —it is at least six months since we first heard a whisper of “the mysterious Barry inquiry about Papua.” It will be surprising if anything decisive is done before the end of March.

Copy Of A Letter To

p. 8

Mr. Ward

January 12, 1945.

Hon. E. J. Ward, MP, Minister for External Territories Canberra.

Dear Mr. Ward,— I have, just seen, for the first time, a copy of the instructions given by you to Mr. Barry, KC, who, as a

Royal Commissioner, is inquiring

into the circumstances surrounding the cessation of civil government in Papua in February, 1942.

I am one of those who, rightly or wrongly, regard this as an attack by the Army upon the Civil Administrator, Mr. Murray, and an attempt by the Army to entrench some parts of itself permanently in Territories Administration.

Therefore, I take the liberty of suggesting to you that, before Mr.

Barry ceases his inquiry, you add the following to his “terms of re ference”: To inquire into all the circumstances surrounding the failure of the responsible authorities to remove all non-combatant Europeans from Rabaul prior to the Japanese invasion; and especially to ascertain— , (a) The date when it became clear to our military commanders in Port Moresby that a Japanese invasion fleet was approaching Rabaul; (b) The number of ships that were then available in or near Rabaul Harbour for the removal of European civi lians; (c) The time that elapsed after (a) before the Japanese sealed up Rabaul Harbour; (d) The approximate number of non combatants, including high adminis trative officials, who were captured by the Japs in Rabaul and vicinity; (e) The number and size of ships trapped in Rabaul Harbour, and the reasons for their non-removal.

And to say who actually was to blame for the fact that those Rabaul civilians were not shipped away.

I venture to suggest that there are matters here of far greater im port to Australia, and the Army, than what happened in Port Moresby during the same tragic period.

Yours faithfully,

R. W. Robson,

Publisher, “Pacific Islands Monthly.”

After 33 Years

p. 9

NZ Prime Minister Visits Cook islands

From Our Own Correspondent

Rarotonga, Jan. 2.

A MONTH after the inaugural landing of a plane on Rarotonga’s new air port, the island was visited by Mr.

Fraser, Prime Minister of New Zealand (who is also Minister for Island Terri tories) and a party of officials. The visit lasted from December 29-31; before its arrival in the Cooks, the party (Mr. A. G.

Osborne, MP, Assistant Minister of Island Territories; Mr. Ross Fraser, Acting Dir ector, Internal Marketing Division; Mr.

G. R. Laking, of the Prime Minister’s Department: Miss Jordan, private secre tary: and Mr. Wemyss, Official Cine matographer) studied conditions in Fiji, Tonga and Samoa, and gathered all pos sible information on Islands’ affairs.

Mr. W. Tailby, Resident Commissioner of the Cook Islands, welcomed the visit ors. It was, he said, the first official visit of a Prime Minister of New Zealand to the Cook Islands for 33 years. Mr.

FraSer, in reply, said that the object of his call was that he personally investigate every department of,, the islands’ social and economic life, to learn just what was required for the benefit of the population.

At the conclusion of the traditional Polynesian welcome ceremonies, the party was conveyed to the Residency to pre pare for the combined Maori and Euro pean reception and luncheon at Taputa puatea, the residence of the paramount chieftainess, the Makea Ariki Nui, Mrs.

Love. At Taputapuatea there was a kava drinking ceremony, followed by the pre sentation by the Arikis of gifts, in the form of articles of native craftsmanship, and the guests were again laden with flowers and brightly coloured artificial - garlands.

In the afternoon, the Prime Minister’s party inspected the site of the tuberculo

sis sanatorium which is now in the course of construction. Dr, E. P. Ellison, who for many years has worked for the estab lishment of a sanatorium in Rarotonga, gave some interesting facts on the health of the Group, particularly the distressing prevalence of tuberculosis and the neces sity for means of combating the disease.

The matter of sending more Cook Island boys to the Fiji Medical School for training as medical practitioners was also fully discussed; also the possibility of sending the most intelligent students to the College of Tropical Medicine at Dune din, NZ. Two more Rarotongan boys are already on their way to Fiji.

THE following morning was devoted to discussions with the Island Council on Island problems. And, at the same time, Mr. Osborne, Assistant Minis ter, Mr. Ross Fraser, of the Internal Mar keting Division, and Mr. M. Baker, Dir ector of Agriculture in Rarotonga, were engaged in a coats-off wrestling match with the Rarotonga Fruit Advisory Com mittee, headed by Mr. W. P. Browne. The visitors endeavoured to convince the Rarotongan party that the Internal Mar keting Division of NZ is definitely not making a handsome profit from the sale of Cook Islands fruit—as appears to be the general opinion of Rarotongan growers.

Every effort was made to persuade the Fruit Committee to embrace a scheme of long-term planning of citrus fruit plant ing for the future prosperity of the islands.

An excellent suggestion by Mr. Osborne was that some of the most intelligent Cook Islands youths should be selected for special training in modern fruit growing methods, in order that know ledge of fruit-culture should be instilled into the planters of the future. Ignorance of proper methods —particularly in regard to putting life back into the impoverished soil —is largely to blame for failure of native growers to get the best from their lands.

Dinner at the residence of the Makoa Ariki Nui, Mrs. Love, accompanied by Polynesian singing and dancing, con cluded the second day’s programme.

The following morning (Sunday) the partv attended an early service at the IMS church before proceeding to the airport, where an Islands farewell of songs and flowers was given the Prime Minister and his party.

New Guinea Goldfields

p. 9

, Ltd., which holds very extensive gold-mining lands and properties in Morobe dis trict, and whose capital was written down heavily to £950,371 Jn the ’thirties, will hold its annual meeting this month. Its administrative costs during the year to September 30. 1944, were £6,809, and it received £3,675 from funds and invest ments.

Mine property is shown at £653,125; buildings and equipment, £168.413; stores, £47,018; and it has (ready for the resump tion of mining), £56,190 in cash, and £87,620 in war loans. It may be assumed that, under the new definition of war damage, this company will receive a sub stantial sum from the War Damage Com pensation fund, to pay for repairs and rehabilitation.

This company’s shares, worth 4/3 nominally, are quoted at about 2/3. If gold is to hold its value in the post-war world, they should be worth more than that.

In Solomons

Production Board

To Take Over and Work Plantations

EXERCISING wartime powers, the High Commissioner of the Western Paci fic, by regulations published in Suva on October 30, established the British Solomons Islands War Materials Produc tion Board, consisting of the Resident Commissioner, the Custodian of Property and one other member —both the latter to be appointed by the RC.

The Board’s headquarters are on Guadalcanal. It is to “promote and con trol the production, disposal and sale of

copra, rubber, and other products of the Protectorate.” It may requisition, enter into possession of, and work any planta tion and other property in the Solomons: and all necessary legal machinery for that purpose is provided.

No compensation is payable to owners; but the latter will receive rental at the rate of 10/- per acre per annum for fully planted - coconut or rubber land. Rental also will be paid for buildings occupied.

It appears to be a set-up somewhat resembling the Production Board in Papua. But where, in Papua, there is provision for co-operation with owners and sharing profits with owners, there is no provision for owners in the Solomons plan, except payment of rent.

Although the Japs are long gone from all the Solomons—except a few on Choi f£ U l"lS ler S the Shiest indication that the British authorities are prepared to permit the return of civilians. No one knows why.

The Queen of the Netherlands has appointed Caledonian-born M Carlo Leom a Chevalier of the Order of Orange Nassau For many years M. Leoni was Dutch Vice-consul in Noumea.

Captain Charbonnier of the French mechca l service recently flew to WallS Islands (New Caledonia) where he suc ceeds Dr. Mattel as Resident and Medical Officer. He was accompanied by his wife fhP » ? he ma d n Of oSvea fn the Wallis Group has been used by the Americans as an air and naval base and weather station since mid-1942

ladies 1 singles championships

Who was runner-up in the ladies 1 singles championships in Rabaul in 1934?

J 1 HE following 'paragraph ap peared in the Melbourne “Sporting Globe” (c/o “Herald and Weekly Times”) on Decem ber 16. It was sent to us by Mrs.

Amy Gregory, who at present lives in Melbourne. Anyone knowing the whereabouts of the “Runner-up” can communicate direct with the “Sporting Globe” or, alternatively, with the “PIM”

A silver cake dish inscribed “RDLTA Runner-up Ladies’ Singles Championships, 1934” has come into the possession of Hugh Ferguson, of the AIF.

Ferguson believes that the letters “RDLTA” stand for Rabaul District Lawn Tennis Association. The trophy was recovered from the Japanese. He desires that the trophy be returned to its rightful owner, and would like to have any further particulars available.

NZ Prime Minister

in W. Samoa Samoan and European Grievances Discussed

From Our Own Correspondent

Apia Jan 9

rE increasingly important’ part the islands of the South Pacific are playing in world affairs is reflected in the fact that, within the past year, Western Samoa—with an airport of some importance on the crossroads of the Pacific—has been .visited twice by the Governor-General of New Zealand, and has now been paid an official visit by the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Mr.

Peter Fraser. The Prime Minister and his party remained a week, in order to obtain a personal knowledge of the prob lems of the Territory and find a solution for them, if possible.

His ‘visit extended also to the Tokelau Islands, the Cook Islands, and Niue, the other New Zealand dependencies.

The party consisted of the Prime Minister, Mr. A. G. Osborne, MP (Par liamentary Under-Secretary to the Prime Minister), Mr. Rbss Frazer (Acting Dir ector of the Internal Marketing Division), Mr. G. R. Taking (Department of Exter nal Affairs), Miss K. G. Jordan (private secretary), and Mr. S. J. Wemyss (cameraman). They completed a strenu ous round of inspections, conferences and interviews, with only a few social func tions interrupting the “strictly business” character of the visit.

Most important, from the Samoan point of view, were the talks with native, European and Euronesian leaders, who submitted their grievances.

The Samoan Fono of Faipule asked for a greater share of self-government and responsibility for Samoans—similar to the Tongan and Fijian native systems; bet ter prices for their products, particularly bananas, copra and cocoa-beans; better roads and communications; better wages for local officials: increased employment of Samoans by the Administration, and better facilities for education.

European representatives discussed with the Prime Minister the' disposal of Crown lands for plantations to Europeans; the lifting of prohibition; better wages for local-born officials: and the improvement of roads and services generally.

MR. FRASER openly expressed sym pathy with the demands submitted to him. He said, however, that on some of the more important and far reaching questions he was unable to give a decision before consulting the New Zealand Cabinet.

In a speech before the Samoan repre sentatives and leaders, at a meeting held at Mulinu’u on Boxing Day, Mr. Fraser expressed his sincere thanks for the cor dial reception given him and his party He said that he would do his best to satisfy the legitimate grievances of the people of Samoa on his return to NZ.

Post-war Reconstruction

Colonial Office Plan for BSI

IT was reported from London on Decem ber 6, that the Colonial Office had outlined plans for rebuilding and developing the economic life of the lib erated islands of the British Solomons Protectorate. (See also article, p. 5.) Full details of the plan were not announced but, as a first step, a free grant has been made under the Colonial Development and Welfare Act. This is to be used for investigation into soil, mineral and forest resources.

Papuan Firms Sue

Commonwealth £37,740 Claimed

WRITS totalling £37,740/10/10 have

been taken out in the High Court of Australia by two Papuan firms. The firms are Steamship Trading Co., Ltd., and Sawmillers and Traders, Ltd., owned by the same people.

Steamship Trading Co., Ltd., claim for rental of certain buildings and premises occupied by the Government in Papua The amount claimed is £13,097/10/-.

Sawmillers and Traders, Ltd., claim £24,643/6/10, made up as follows: £22,956/3/- for certain timber cut and sawn at Port Romiliy sawmills, New Guinea; £326/17/4 for stone stocks taken over by the defendants; £760/6/6 for tim ber stocks taken over; and £6OO . for alleged loss sustained to a rubber nur sery, 30 miles from Port Romiliy.

The writs are issued against the Fed eral Government, the Minister for the Army (Mr. Forde), the Minister for External Territories (Mr. Ward), and the Production Control Board.

Many other claims against the same authority will depend upon the outcome of this action. Territorians generally will be grateful to Captain Fitch and his co-directors for forcing the long argu ment about Army liability to an issue.

Cake For Territorial

rIS is Mrs. I. Meldrum, formerly of Rabaul, with the three-tiered cake which she decorated for the Christ mas party, held in Sydney on December

21, by the New Guinea Women’s Club.

The cake was pure Territorian —a tier for each of the three years that New Guinea women have spent as evacuees and the decorations which surrounded the base and crowned the top depicted native life.

Coconuts, tiny kunai houses and “boys” and “Maries” crouching over camp-fires made the club’s 300 guests yearn over the masterpiece as though it were in fact a piece of home.

Teopicalities

p. 11

A NOW defunct magazine called “Star of the Pacific” (published in Suva, Fiji) ran an advertisement in its Christmas number, 1908, calculated to make the mouths of every thirsty islander water in these days of war shortages.

Christmas hampers were offered for sale by the firm of Robbie and Company, Ltd. The hampers contained: 3 bottles of whisky, 1 bottle of rum, 1 bottle of port, 1 bottle of sherry, 3 bottles of stout and 3 bottles of lager beer.

The price (believe it or not) was 31/6 delivered free.

ACCORDING to the Right Rev. Miguel Angel de Olano, Titular Bishop of Lagina and Vicar Apostolic of Guam, who, with Brother Jauregui, recently arrived in Australia from prison camp in Japan, the Japanese love Aus tralia and pine to “liberate” us from the heavy British, yoke.

The Bishop said that when the Japs arrived in Guam, in 1941, they behaved themselves on the first day, but later looted and committed many atrocities.

With 600 Americans —marines, sailors, soldiers, civilians, women and children— the priests were herded into the cathedral on Guam. Later, they were put into the hold of a ship and taken to Japan. The civilians were imprisoned in Kobe but the priests were taken to Tokio where they appealed to the Spanish Ambassa dor. In September, 1943, they were sent to India in an exchange ship and they have now- arrived in Australia on the return journey back to Guam —now again in American hands.

The Bishop said that when they were in Tokio the most noticeable shortage was iron—the Japs are apparently miss ing their imports of scrap-iron, formerly provided by the Allies. All iron, includ ing iron beds, letter boxes, park benches and railings, were going to Jap war factories'. ..

The priests said that the hospitals attached to prison camps in Japan were very well run; they did not know much about prisoner of war camps, but they had reason to believe that prisoners in camps in Kobe and Chikoku Island were treated humanely. m , .

The Bishop said the best day in Tokio was February 18, 1943 —the day Dolittle’s Americans bombed the city from “Shan gri-la.”

NEW GUINEA police-boys were the spearhead of the recent Australian landing at Jacquinot Bay, New Britain. Some of them had been on the spot for two weeks before the Army arrived. Melbourne “Herald’s” correspon dent in that area, wrote; “Australians making their camp in the tropical rain were surprised to hear the bugle sounding “Retreat” and “Reveille” night and morning, and to see the boys’ ceremonial drill for raising and lowering of the Blue Ensign they had planted on their arrival.

“They belonged to the Royal Papuan Constabulary, and are New Guinea natives. Some belong to New Britain and others to the wild Sepik River district.

“The sergeant-major has had 21 years’ service.

“Since the war in the Pacific they have been busy against the Japanese. It is hard to fault their discipline, bearing and drill.” * WHEN I first visited the Solomons, I marvelled at the speed with which the Americans were developing

bases; and at the manner in which air fields, wharves, roads, etc., were conjured into being almost overnight.

Now, wherever I travel in both Solo mons and Gilberts, I marvel as much at the casual efficiency with which bases no longer needed are being dismantled and moved up nearer the front line. Camps which a few weeks ago had every appear ance of permanence are to-day mere skeletons.

But, if the dismantling process is swift, it is also thorough. Men who operate the American salvage services are evi dently trained not to overlook small eco nomies. “Look after the nuts and bolts and the bulldozers will look after them selves” might almost be their motto.

As one British officer said to me, after watching them closing down a base for which they had no further use owing to the swift movement of the war north wards; “I almost expected them to roll up the airstrip and tow it away in a special dry-dock. The only thing they leave behind is the mud.”— HAROLD

Cooper.

* EVERY “PIM” has much to say about “indentured” labour (previously called “contract” labour).

Is it not puzzling that at the confer ence in Sydney on December 1 and 2 none of the “Fuzzy-wuzzy Angels” was represented? According to the new sys tem, we are not allowed to call them Boys, Kanakas, Coons, Blacks, Boongs or other “contemptible” terms, but natives, or better still, “Fuzzy-wuzzy Angels.”

However, there is quite a respectable number of boys—pardon me. natives —in the Royal Papuan Native Constabulary, who perform essential services gallantly; and there are supposed to be no less than 38,000 natives working under the con temptible indenture system in Papua.

What about a Yes-or-No plebiscite, on the same plan as the Australian Referen dum of some months ago?

Every native man (not “boy”) and even woman (not “mary”), who had been working for at least three years under the old system should have the right to vote for or against its abolition. With out being one of the prophets, I should

like to predict an overwhelming majority for the continuation of much-maligned indenture. After all, the natives know best when they happy and satisfied.

Indentured labourers were quite sure of their salary, daily rations, hospital treat ment, etc. They knew also that the Gov ernment was protecting them and giving them a fair deal. They were educated to cleanliness, hygiene, discipline, regular work and meals, and the spirit of com radeship.

In many cases, the strongest motive for a labour term was the hope of earning the money or trade goods required for the “bride-price.”

When we compare this with Jacob, of the Old Testament, who had to work 14 years in order to marry his sweetheart, Rachel, it seems to be very easy for the native. He spends only three years at work so that he may conquer the hearts of his future parents-in-law and other relatives who are entitled to payment at

the wedding ceremony.-

“Pat.”

THE argument about “who was the first woman on the Morobe goldfield (New Guinea)” breaks out at inter vals. Some say it was Mrs. Doris Booth —others, that it was Mrs. Muller, All are right.

Mrs. Alice Allen Innes, who was “cor rected” by Mr. Bishton recently, explains that she said that Mrs. Booth was “the first woman to cross the Morobe ranges.”

Mr. Bishton says that Mrs. Muller was the first woman on the Kainde-Edie Creek goldfield. Mrs. Innes replies that that is correct—Mrs. Booth had entered the Morobe goldfield two years before Mrs.

Muller visited Edie Creek; but Mrs. Booth went first to the Bulolo Gorge area, and did not visit Edie Creek until after the arrival there of Mrs. Muller. The belief is widely held, however, that Mrs. Booth was the first woman on Edie Creek —a Sydney “Sun” Quiz made that statement recently.

The following members of the Metho dist Mission have returned to Papua: Rev. J. R. Andrew; Nurses B. Coulson, N.

L. Pitty, E. M. Twyford; Sisters D. Colt heart, F. J. Pearce, T. Richardson; and Mrs. E. A. Clarke. Miss Coltheart has gone to Misima; the other appointments will be left undecided until it is clear where the staff can be best used.

The y?“ r

p. 12

A Fixed Calendar

Plan of US Navy Man Receives World Notice

J 1 HI S is the Edwards Perpetual Calendar, originated by Lieut.

Willard E. Edwards, of the US Navy Reserve, who is at present serving in the Pacific area. He was at Pearl Harbour on December 7, 1941, and has since served on other island stations.

His Navy job is radio, but his hobby since 1918 had been the compilation of a calendar which, instead of changing from year to year, will be constant.

The idea has received considerable attention from American newspapers, and the Hawaiian House of Represen tatives, in 1943, passed a resolution urging the President of the United

States to see that the Edwards Calendar he in serted in any peace treaty.

Lieut. Edwards says that he has received letters of commendation from Mr.

Winston Churchill, Mr.

Anthony Eden, General Jan C. Smuts, of South Africa, Princess Juliana, of the Netherlands, and many other prominent people.

The following extract is from a Massachusetts {USA) newspaper : Proposed revision of the calendar is not a new controversy, and many times in the past efforts have been made to adjust the present calendar so that the months would have an equal number of days and weeks or some similar sort of an idea.

The “12-month calendar’ devised by a Frenchman, Auguste Comte, in 1849, and the “12-month equal-number calendar” suggested by the Italian, Padre Mastrofini, in 1834, are two of the plans suggested to straighten out the present Gregorian calen dar.

In use in the world at the present time are several cal endars used in addition to the Gregorian, most com monly known here. They include the Chinese, Hebrew, Hindu and Mohammedan, as well as others used by smaller divisions of mankind

In the Gregorian system there are i a w y eif S 3 £ b i/ ccoun^ weexs—364 days in the year T pan jear, that crops up to adjust an extra day every fourth year, also complicate! the calendar system of Anting time on

The y?“ r

f£ y week or any month, thus permitting the division of the remaining into exactly 52 weekl wSh Bth»4 8 th» 4 da^? that the halt years become equa! afrin the quarters and the months ’ do named wou , ld be ?our U years an lnternation »l holiday, every

The effects of these changes are far reaching. The first month of each quarter always begins on Monday; the second on Wednesday, and the third month on Friday, with exact regularity through future time. The months them selves would fall into a 30, 30, 31 pattern.

The 30, 30, 31 pattern means that the secon d months of any quarter wiH have 30 days each, while the third °* toe quarter would have 31 days.

This 30, 30, 31 pattern would be invariable

and unchanging.

u n?er Lieut. Edwards’ plan, Monday be % fi f st day of ever y week, with Sunday as the last or seventh day of each week Monday is now actually considered as the first day of the week by many

corporations under present labour-law accounting.

In December, we published this “ Captain the Hon. A. J. Carfax-Foster, who was a trading store manager in Atiu (Cook Is.) in 1930, was killed in the fighting in North Africa two years ago.”

On January 17, a pleasant voice on the telephone besought a word with the editor. “This is Carfax-Foster,” it said “No—l am not speaking from hell! in fact, I am feeling Mark Twainish—the report of my death has been exaggerated I have been in many parts of the world in recent years—but now I am with the United States Army, and doing a job here in Sydney. Please give my kind re gards to friends in the Pacific.” Captain Carfax-Foster is hereby raised from the dead, and congratulated. The paragraph came from the Cook Islands—so will Cl papers please copy!

New Year's

year, a holiday

The Edwards Perpetual Calendar

DAY (a day apart from any week or month) ia the first day of each followed by the 354-day fixed calendar shown below;

Janu

Ary

February

March

M T W T F s s M T w T F s S M T W T F s s 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 i 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 a 9 10 II 12 13 14 6 7 8 9 10 i 1 1 12 4 5 6 7 6 9 10 li 16 17 18 19 2C 21 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 1 1 12 13 i 14 15 16 17 a k 24 ■25 >26 27 26 2C >21 2c >22 24 25 26 18 19 2C )2I 2c 23 124 29(3C 21 20 29 30 25 >26 21 '28 29 30 31 A PR IL

May

June

M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S s 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 8 9 10 1 1 12 13 14 6 7 8 9 10 1 1 12 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 15 16 1 7 16 19 20 21 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 li 12 13 14 15 16 17 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 2y 3(J 27 28 29 30 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 • LEAP-YEAR DAY (a second day apart) is observed only i June 31 and July I as the first day of the second half-year, a n le holic ap lay. yeai rs b etw. ien JL

Jly

August

September

M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F s s 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 I 2 3 8 9 10 1 1 12 13 14 6 7 8 9 10 1 1 12 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 1 1 12 13 14 15 16 17 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 29 30 27 28 29 30 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 0 CT OB ER

November

December

—j M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S s 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 8 9 10 1 1 1 12 13 14 6 7 8 9 10 1 1 12 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 15 16 1 17 1 18 1 19 i 20; 21 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 1 1 12 13 14 15 16 17 22 ; ?3 i 24; 25; 26; 27; 28 20. 2i ; 22; 23; 24; 25 26 18 19 20i 2i ; 22 23 24 29: 30 27; 20; 29; 30 25; 26 27: 28; 29 30 31 YEAR ' D AYS are definitely named and have a del dered apart from any week, they allow the calendar to bee A Proposal for a New. Up-to-Datc Ca iniU omc lent ! PU i fix. lar rpos 2d a ie. V nd Vhe, F*erp 1 COl etua rill.

TNG and Papua

p. 12

New Regulations for TNG and Papua

NEW Regulations, published in Can berra on January 10, 1945, amended the original National Security (War Damage to Property) Regulations so as to give effect to the Australian Govern ments recent decision that war damage compensation shall be paid to residents of Papua and New Guinea for indirect as well as direct war damage.

The chief amendments nrovide for the change in definition of war damage.

Compensation is to be paid “in relation to abandoned property in an evacuated area, and shall be paid in respect of depreciation in value as a direct result of its having been abandoned; damage by fire;_ or disappearance or loss in cir cumstances in respect of which it cannot be traced into the possession of any person, “OKOIS pro ji dec l that P r °P er ty is deemed abandoned when possession or control was relinquished owing directly to the existence of the war, and is deemed to remain abandoned” so long as the owner is prevented by war conditions from resuming possession or control. But if any of the Commonwealth Services has had possession of the property, it can n(™, be deemed to be abandoned.

There are many more pages of Regula tions, representing consequential amendand providing machinery for giv ing effect to the greatly enlarged field of compensation.

The amount now standing in the War Damage Fund is about £14,000,000. Claims l°* nnn°^P en^ tion , alrea dy total over £15,000,000. There will be a vast weeding

out• wa tering-down, however.

Officials say that the practice generally followed by property-owners, in lodging claims, has been to start with the high est possible figure, so as to leave ample margin for reduction—rather than that the claim should represent fair valua tions. “Everyone assumes that official dom is going to knock back their claims as a matter of fixed routine, so they start as high as they dare,” was how one New Guinea man explained it.

Famine and Fleas

p. 12

From Our Own Correspondent

T_ . Mangaia, Dec. 1.

HE hurricane of January, 1944, brought us 10 months’ semi-starvation, which even now is not, fully remedied We are short of every sort of food—other things we have in plenty—the things that we don’t want!

After the cyclone there was a plague of vere Tinito (Chinese centipedes—a harm less variety). Now, Pulex Irritans—and never was v an insect better-named!—is our bane, driving the hut-dwellers almost crazy. These fleas are in the sand floors of the cliff-village shacks, and by day they come only singly—or, at the worst, corporal’s squads. But at night—Aue- To-e!—battalions arrive. We just lie awake and—think!

Mangaians, however, are a people who count their blessings. So far. not a frog has appeared in the taro-swamps, and the water remains water. . Two well-known New Caledonians visit ing Australia in December were M. Josenh Danueloen and M. Henri Lafleur.. M Danueloen has a hotel at La Foa on the western coast. It is a famous fishing re sort. M. Lefleur has mining interests in the Colony.

Mangaian War

p. 13

Casualties

From Our Tahiti Correspondent MANGAIA, October. rESE photographs are of two former Cook Islands residents who enlisted with the New Zealand military forces.

Lance-Sergeant R. S. Aubin, whose death has already been reported in “PIM,” died of wounds in Italy, last Easter. Formerly, he was a trader at Mangaia, Cook Islands. He enlisted at the commencement of hostilities in 1939, was twice wounded at El Alamein, and

at the time of his death had served with the NZEF fojr almost five years. His mother lives in New Zealand.

Lieutenant Colin McGruther is the younger son of Mr. J. G. McGruther, who was Resident Agent at Mangaia between 1926 and 1938. Lieutenant McGruther was wounded in the North African cam paign that routed Rommel’s forces, and is at present on leave in New Zealand with his parents. His brother, Lieutenant Jock McGruther, was wounded earlier in the desert fighting and, after a spell in New Zealand, returned to overseas duty.

L/Sgt. R. S. Aubin.

Lt, C. O. McGruther.

New Post For Rev. H. L.

p. 13

Hurst

IT is expected that the Rev. H. Leonard Hurst, who has been Australian sec retary of the London Missionary Society for a number of years, will leave shortly for a new post in the mission’s secretariat in London. Mr. Hurst is a man of ability and attractive personality, and he will be missed in Pacific mission circles.

His place in this area will be taken by the Rev. Norman Cocks, of Tottenham, Englaftd, whose headquarters will also be in Australia. The exchange will take place as soon as passages can be arranged.

Loyalty of N. Guinea

p. 13

Natives

AN old resident of Wau, New Guinea, who was closely connected with contract labour in pre-invasion days, writes interestingly : WHENEVER I travel in the Territories, now, I am always struck with the fealty and friendship of the many natives whom I encounter when visiting the ANGAU organisations.

I look up as many as I can —and I am known to thousands of them —and all I come in contact with show distinct plea sure in meeting me. This makes me feel that, by and large, we shall get loyalty from them -later on—if they are not tampered with by the Canberra toughs.

It is good to my ears to hear: “Oh, master, me like work long you one more time by’mby.” Many of them say this with, I believe, sincerity.

Miss Dilys Rowlands, of the Methodist Mission, who has been appointed to a teaching position at the Girls’ School in Tonga, has now arranged for her passage from New Zealand.

Mr. H. L. Freshwater, who for some time was a member of the Melanesian Mission in the Solomons, died recently in Sydney.

He did much valuable work for the Mission.

Theory Or Realism In Native Affairs?

pp. 14-15

Has Rev. J. W. Burton the Right to Speak For All Missionaries?

EVEN New Guinea conformed to the 1944 war-pattern of political ideo logies; and the fight between Theorists and Realists over the body of the generally uncaring native (and his Welfare) already has begun its 1945 session.

The Realists generally have been taken to mean the much-maligned “commercial interests”—the tough gentlemen with axes to grind; the Theorists—the present Australian Government, the scientists and the Missions.

The Government is ephemeral: sooner or later, for good or ill, another group of politicians, of different hue, will take the helm. The anthropolgists, who do not necessarily agree wholly with Mission or Governmental policies, have only a small voice, through sheer lack of numbers. It is the people who go broadly under the heading of “Mission” who find the con tinued enthusiasm to fight the good fight, as they see it.

Note the qualification “broadly.” When we get down to tin-tacks it is found that there is as much graded opinion within the Mission group as without it. In other words, there are as many Realists among the missionaries as there are Theorists.

LEADER of the Theorist group is the Rev. J. W. Burton, General Secretary of the Methodist Mission. For rea sons of his own, he has adopted what he .believes to be the cause of the New Guinea native. He takes the stand that there is no good in indentured (contract) labour; and that the New Guinea Terri tories should be kept exclusively for the natives, further European settlement pro hibited, and those settlers already there compensated by the Government and painlessly removed.

Mr. Burton knows quite well that he has not a hope of achieving complete success for his plan; but he is obviously working on the sound principle that by agitating for a 100 per cent, wipe-off of European activity in the Territories, he may gain something. He has been known to state, in effect, that “I want the thing

talked about—never mind the abuse that

comes my way.”

Mr. Burton has what is called “a good press”; and, through it, he has got across the necks of Territorians more frequently than any other individual or group. That is probably a very good thing. There are some hide-bound Theorists among the Realists who could do with a little leaven in their ideas. But is Mr. Burton justified in setting himself up as the spokesman of every missionary, or Mission body?

In a recent issue of “Sydney Morning Herald,” Mr. Burton stated that the National Missionary Council of Australia wanted the “indentured” labour system abolished. Later, in the same interview, he said that “a commission appointed”

agreed:

“(1) In urging the earliest possible return to civil administration in New Guinea and Papua, this commission considers that the administration should be based on the principles and affirma tions of international agreements to which Australia is pledged—the Covenant of the League of Nations, the Atlantic Charter, and the Four Freedoms—and that native welfare should be regarded as the inviolable criterion of judgment in the framing and carrying out of all administrative policy.

“(2) Although the impact of the indentured system upon native life and welfare has not been the same in all areas, the commission is unable to reconcile it with these principles and affirmations, as it holds back the social, econo mic, and moral progress of the people. This system should therefore be abolished, and, at the utmost, no further indenture of native labourers should be permitted after a period of five years from the re-establishment of civil administration.

“(3) To ensure necessary productivity in the Territories, the Administration should institute a programme of practical education to prepare the way for a system of peasant proprietorship, whereby the people may be taught and encour aged to use their own labour in the cultivation of their own lands, and to qualify in arts and crafts suited to their present needs and to their future development. Only by such means can the native inhabitants move towards economic independence and to a secure and satisfactory future. The commission considers that all com mercial and industrial undertakings should, after the five years’ period referred to, be on the basis of non-indentured labour, but that the Administration should have ‘special regard to the condition and vital statistics of each dis trict concerned, before any recruiting of labour for distant service is permitted.

“(4) The commission also considers that natives who have served continuously for a period of two or more years under a military regime should not be re-engaged as labourers until they have spent at least two years in their own village, and so are given an opportunity to rehabilitate their social and family life, to re store their homes and gardens, and to produce children to help to repair the positive and negative wastage of human life caused the war.”

Unfortunately neither the “smh” or Mr. Burton made it clear who or' what constituted the “commission.”

Did they refer to some missionary con vention? Presumably so, because no Government commission was ever formed to deal with the subject. In early December, External Territories Minister Ward, called a conference to discuss an alternative to contract labour. But that

conference merely conferred, nothing

more. It passed no resolutions, nor was it permitted to make recommendations to the Commonwealth Government.

Since Mr. Burton and Bishop Cranswick publicly climbed on the same band-waggon as Mr. Ward, back in July, and issued a manifesto that indenture was just an other name for slavery, and that New Guinea “commercial interests” were ex

ploiters of deep-dye, we have received,

in this office, many letters from mis

sionaries who firmly repudiate the opinions

then expressed. Certain members of Mr.

Burton’s own Mission have said that, far from being an authority on New Guinea contract labour, Mr. Burton has no prac tical experience in that Territory at all.

His acquaintance with “indenture” of any variety was gained many years ago, among the Indians of Fiji, who had gone to the Colony to work in the sugar in dustry. There was, as Mr. Burton should know, little resemblance between that old Indian labour system and the contract labour of New Guinea, as it applied prior to 1942. . J Typical of the letters received over the past months is this one: On several occasions the New Guinea Anglican Mission has been misrepresented in the columns of the “Pacific Islands Monthly’’ as being op posed to the system of indentured labour; and the name of the Bishop of New Guinea has been incorrectly associated with the joint document issued over the names Of Bishop G. H. Crans wick and the Rev. J. Burton. This has caused some confusion in the minds of Territorians.

In justice to the truth, and to prevent further confusion, I must point out — (1) Bishop Cranswick is the Chairman of the Australian Board of Missions, is resident in Sydney, and is not the Bishop of New Guinea, nor the head of the Anglican Mission. (2) The Bishop of New Guinea was in England when the joint document was prepared and given to the press, and was wholly un aware of the intention of the signatories. (3f The views expressed in the document are the personal views of the signatories, and do not represent those of the members of the Mission staffs at work in Papua.

Circumstances beyond my control are re sponsible for my silence until now.

I am, etc.,

A. J. Thompson,

Archdeacon of Samarai.

Anglican Mission, Dogura, Papua, December 1, 1944. mHE missionary in the field, as well as 1 being a man of God, is usually a true Territorian, who has a real appreciation of practical facts; who, far from believing that his planting neigh bour is a devil in human form, knows him for a decent citizen whom it is pos sible to like and respect.

There are commercial Territorians who breathe fire and brimstone at the men tion of the word “mission,” just as there still are narrow-minded missionaries who see nothing good in the New Guinea European. But, on the whole, these two groups of people, despite all the re criminatory nonsense that has been spilled in Australian newspapers during the past 18 months, lived amicably and happily together, suffering the same brand of hardship and privation, often doing the same type of work—although admittedly with a different purpose in view.

Much bad feeling—with little justi fication—has been caused by the in nuendoes of Mr. Burton and his small coterie of Theorists. Mr. Burton may be lieve that the end justifies the means, and that, if the condition of the native is improved, maligning the reputations of a few planters and miners is a small price to pay. The fact that the generally misinformed public of Australia can now babble about “exploitation,” “slavery,” etc., can be laid largely to the efforts of Mr. Burton and his friends. Mr. Ward’s intermittent opinion on the subject is dismissed by most thinking Australians as just one of Eddie’s brain storms. fT\HERE were and still are some bad- X hats among the “commercial in terests.” But they were, and are, in an extraordinary minority. Mr. Burton may care to pick out the worst of them to use as bogies to frighten the stay-at home Australians, but he definitely is not

justified in making sweeping statements on behalf of all Missions or missionaries.

To quote from a recent booklet, written by the Rev. John D. Bodger, of the Anglican Mission (a man who is held in the greatest esteem by missionary, Gov ernment official and commercial man alike, who has had 17 years’ practical experience in Papua, and who, for many years before the war, represented the Christian Missions on the Legislative Council): “Another factor which has contributed to the well-being of the natives is the way in which most employers of labour have carried out, not only the letter, but the spirit of the conditions imposed on them by the Labour Ordinance; and this, together with the good treatment meted out to the Papuan in the early days by the old-time miner, has borne fruit in the way in which the natives have re sponded when called upon to assist our forces in the fight against the Japanese invader.”

Well-known Planter Challenges

pp. 15-16

Mission Chief

Letter to the Editor PAPUAN and New Guinea people are somewhat surprised by the “S.M.

Herald” interview with Rev. John W. Burton (December 27).

The sub-heading states “Missionaries want system changed.” The article goes on to say that “the National Missionary Council of Australia believe that the in denture system of native labour should be abolished.”

I do not know when or under what con ditions this National Missionary Council was elected, but I very much doubt that it had any mandate from the general body of missionaries to justify such a statement. All the evidence is to the contrary—as demonstrated by the state ments of prominent missionaries of long experience.

It is well-known to me that, even within

Mr, Burton’s own church, a prominent head of a mission group, who has had very many years’ experience in Mela nesia, and who has achieved great success in that field, is definitely opposed to Mr.

Burton’s views, and that Mr. Burton is well aware of that fact. How then does he square his conscience with what he says, and what he leaves unsaid, the re sult of which tends to mislead the public on the realities of the case?

Mr. Burton has exhibited a very unfair attitude in allowing to go unchallenged the aspersions that have been cast, from time to time, upon the white officials and inhabitants of Papua and New Guinea regarding the treatment of natives. He knows as well as I do that, except for the very small minority that exists in every community, the people of our Islands Territories treat their native employees with paternal care—not only because it is economically politic to do so, but from their natural sense of justice. Only on very rare occasions had the Government to employ penalties against employers for breaches of the Native Labour Regu lations, which are administered by of

ficials with every regard for native interest and welfare.

The church tells us that sins of omis sion can be as great as sins of com mission; in my opinion, Mr. Burton is guilty on both counts. A sense of justice urged Mr. Leonard Murray, Administrator of Papua, to write to “Sydney Morning Herald” to correct these wrong impres sions, but Mr. Burton apparently has not considered himself called upon to do so, although he knows quite well that a wrong impression is being created in the minds of the public.

Under the heading, “Commission’s Views,” Mr. Burton said that a Com mission appointed said various things (vide paragraphs 1 to 4 of his letter) all tending to favour Mr. Burton’s special propaganda. I know of no such state ment by any Commission. But I do know that, just prior to the war, a Commission specially appointed by the Commonwealth Government, after taking evidence in all parts of the Territories, unanimously re commended that the indenture system be continued as the only practical means pf ensuring a satisfactory labour supply, having regard to the requirements of the Territories, and native mentality as it now is and is likely to be for some con siderable period.

I think it will be found that the re commendations of that Commission, to gether with the weight of opinion ex pressed at the recent conference, in favour of a continuation of the system (with certain minor amendments) will be given consideration by the Government in deciding the policy for the immediate future. The recent conference was against any limitation of the period of

continuation to five years, as suggested by Mr, Burton.

Unfortunately, the press was excluded from that conference. The public has not been informed of what transpired.

This makes it distinctly unfair for Mr Burton to continue to attempt to mislead the public. It would be much better for him to accept the situation as it is, and to endeavour to co-operate in the re habilitation of the Islands Territories with due regard to the rights and in terests of all parties concerned, and of the future political and military exi gencies of the Pacific in general and of Australia’s immediate neighbourhood in particular.

I am, etc.,

C. I. H. Campbell.

Sydney, 6/1/45.

Future of Papuan Labour

p. 16

HERE is a note from Mr. Ralph T.

Gore, who was Judge in Papua for many years, until the evacuation, and who now holds an important legal position in South Australia; “I wonder if those who advocate so strongly the abolition of the indenture system for Papua have considered care fully the probable result. Without going into the many reasons for saying so, to my mind, with a non-indenture system there will be insufficient labour available in Papua, necessitating the introduction of Asiatics on the indenture system The Papuan is going to suffer.”

No More " Buying Out"

p. 16

T tt „ , MANGAIA, Dec. 1.

HE old custom of “buying out” native convicts, at 1/- a half-day per man, day n ° W a thing of lia PP ier yester- We Mangaia Europeans miss our cheery burglar, or erring Don Juan trapped under the Cohabitation Law, who used to be so handy for weeding and odd plantation-chores. Many a native began that way in a job that later became per manent, “respectable,” and better-paid The High Court continues to bestow legal bonnes bouches of varying length but the beneficiaries do their “stretch” on Government jobs only, and those are a lot harder than the private employers’ plantation-work. The prisoners on Ad ministration penance get no food either beyond what they themselves provide In the “buying-out” days, “Boss” had to supply his Bill Sykes or his Crippen with breakfast—coffee and a yoll—and, at mid-day, a meal of stew. There are sad sighs on both sides of the calaboose wall, these days.

“The Australians, Americans and Fuzzy Wuzzies of New Guinea” is a pamphlet written by Dr. C. Bernard Cockett reveal ing how Christian Missions helped to save the Pacific. Copies, 6d. each, can be secured from LMS Book Stores throughout Australia.

Sir Walter Carpenter

Returns to Canada

THE founder and head of the Carpenter group of companies, Sir Walter Carpenter, accompanied by Lady Carpenter, will leave Sydney this month for Vancouver, where he has made his in Sydney several months ago, Sir Walter has enjoyed a long rest, and has improved very much in health. He is now the active, direct ing head of his group’s new enterprises The growth of the Carpenter group, since conditions arising out of World War I gave “WR” his great chance, has been one of the commercial romances of the Pacific.

Originally, the firm of W. R. Carpen ter Co., Ltd., started trading in Thurs day Island; it was established in 1920 m New Guinea as general merchants, plant ers and inter-island ship-owners; it extended to the Solomon Islands; it established its own line of freighters between the Pacific and Europe; it bought out On Chong & Co., general merchants of the Gilbert Islands; it established Mandated Airlines, Ltd., air transport company in New Guinea; it bought out Brown & Joske, Ltd., and thus became established in Fiji; it established the South Pacific Insurance Co., Ltd.; it established the air transport service between Sydney and Rabaul: and, after the outbreak of World War 11, it extended the group’s activities to Canada, where it introduced the new industry of' copra crushing.

Mr R. B. Carpenter has taken his father’s place as chairman of the com pany. at headquarters in Sydney. Other active directors are W. H. Carpenter (brother of Sir Walter), and C. H. Car penter (another and younger son of the founder). . :.. . ...

As explained in another article m this issue, Carpenters now are the largest shareholders in Qantas, Ltd., the well known Australian company which holds the shares of air operating concerns.

So Very, Very Sad!

pROM the Adelaide notes of the “ABM Review”: MRS. FRANK WESTON introduced the speaker, Miss Harry, who had been a missionary in Melanesia from 1935 to 1942, when she was forced to leave as a result of the Japanese invasion. Miss Harry delivered a most interesting and instructive address, describing the man ners and customs of the Melanesians.

The Netherlands Government controlled the Solomons until Australia solemnly undertook, after the last war, to foster the welfare of the natives. The trouble is that the people who make the laws do not interpret and administer them. In Rabaul, before the war, commercial inter ests had all the power, and the natives were ill-used and sadly exploited.

You can do anything with the Melane sians by going to them as a big brother, a helper, but if you regard them as an inferior race you get nowhere with them.

Coloured people resent snobbery; to get anywhere with them you must serve them.

The death is reported of Mr. P. E. J.

Ebsworth, sub-manager of the Bank of New South Wales, Wellington, New Zea land. Mr. Ebsworth, who was 64 years of age, was in Fiji prior to being transferred to Wellington in 1929.

Decoration For Eric

Howitt

Lieutenant eric howitt, ranvr, formerly of Lae, TNG, has been awarded the American Legion of Merit for notable service with a US patrol torpedo-boat squadron in the South-west Pacific. He has been in every major operation in which PT boats have participated around New Guinea New Britain, the Moluccas, and the Philippines.

Lieutenant Howitt was with the PT boats which made a daring dash into Rabaul Harbour in 1943. Because of his knowledge of the east New Guinea coast he was seconded to Vice-Admiral Barbey’s amphibious fleet for piloting ships which took the Australians to Lae.

Polished Pearl-Shell