Pacific Is. Association

Movement Launched In Sydney

PRELIMINARY steps to form a Pacific Islands Association were taken at a meeting held in Sydney on Wednesday, July 29. About 30 persons attended and a provisional committee was set up to get into touch with Islands residents, draw up a practicable scheme and a consti tution, and submit same to a general meeting early in the new year, when, it is hoped, many Islands people will be in Australia on leave.

THE circular calling the meeting

stated that the objects and pur pose of the proposed Association were briefly as follows: 1. To provide an organisation which will, if and when occasion demands, present the views of Pacific Islands residents and ex-residents. 2. To promote, if possible, periodical Con ventions, at which there may be an interchange of views on numerous mat ters affecting Pacific Islands adminis trative, trading, industrial and social conditions, by representatives of the various Islands groups and Territories. 3. To provide club-room facilities and a central address in Sydney for members, and particularly members from the Is lands who are visiting Australia. 4. To provide facilities by which ex-resi dents of the Pacific (and particularly retired Public Servants from New Guinea, Papua and other Australian territories) may meet together socially.

Mr. R. W. Robson (editor of The Pacific Islands Monthly) was elected chairman for the meeting; and Mr.

Jas. W. Baldie (formerly of the Papuan civil service) acted as secretary.

Apologies for inability to attend were received from a large number of people, all of whom expressed their

approval of the proposed Association

and willingness to support it.

The chairman, on behalf of the Con venors, submitted the following state ment of the objects and purpose of the proposed Association: Within a comparatively short distance of Australia and New Zealand lie the following important Pacific Island groups and terri tories: The Crown Colony of Fiji.

Mandated Territory of New Guinea.

Australian Territory of Papua.

Mandated Territory of Samoa.

British Protectorate of Tonga.

French Colony of New Caledonia.

British Protectorate of Solomon Islands.

The Condominium of New Hebrides.

Australian Territory of Norfolk Island.

New Zealand Territory of Cook Islands.

In addition to various smaller groups and more distant, large territories, such as the Society and Marquesas Islands, the Marshalls and Carolines, Philippines, Hawaii, etc.

Within the groups and territories close to New Zealand and Australia there is a land area larger than the two smallest Australian States; a white population of 40,000; an Asiatic population of over 100,000; and a native population of about 1,250,000. They are, for the most part, territories of vast undeveloped natural wealth, and the value of their export and import trade, in a nor mal year, is about £12,000,000 sterling.

For many decades, the Pacific Islands were comparatively unknown —a happy hunting ground for descriptive writers and story tellers, who pictured it as a region of beauty, romance and mystery. To-day, with the rapid development of the internal combus tion engine, wireless and aviation, the Pacific Islands territories are coming quickly into prominence, as lands where capital may be profitably invested and Europeans comfort ably settled. When the present depression passes development will be very rapid. Be cause it is essentially a region of primary oroduction it provides a vast potential mar ket for manufactured goods—and particu larly for the secondary products of Australia and New Zealand. Every native who aban dons primitive life and carries a lavalava and a knife, and craves canned beef, adds to that great and growing market.

Within the South and Central Pacific there are between 15 and 20 separate and more or less independent administrations, directed respectively from London, Paris, Washington, Tokio, Canberra and Wellington. There is some communication between them; but, for the most part, they function quite inde pendently of each other. There are only a few hundred miles between Suva and Noumea and Rabaul; yet, if there is to be consultation between the respective adminis trators of Fiji, New Caledonia and New Guinea, the channel of communication is via London, Paris, London and Canberra, and probably, back to London and Paris again.

As is quite well known to you, conditions of life in these various Islands territories are very similar —each administration has to deal with the same, or very similar problems affecting trade, production, settlement, edu cation, health, labour, currency, communi cations. transport, and above all Math mat ters affecting the welfare and protection of the native races. As development proceeds rapidly—and it certainly will in the future — such problems will arise more frequently and acutely, and the need for consultation will become more marked.

It is hoped that the Pacific Islands Asso ciation will (provide machinery for holding periodical conferences, for the interchange of opinions and experiences and the general discussion of the many subjects connected with present conditions and future devel opment, affecting Pacific Islands interests in common. Such conferences might be held at suitable central points—Sydney, Auckland and Suva are three which suggest them selves. Some very wise, broad-visioned men

have been connected with the Pacific Islands territories in the past—some as administrat ors, some as missionaries, some as merchants.

Except for books they may have written, the fruits of their wisdom, experience and know ledge have been partly lost. There are men of outstanding ability in the Pacific to-day— administrators, merchants and missionary educationists —and the Pacific Islands Associ ation would, in our opinion, be justifying its existence if it did no more than bring these gentlemen together under conditions which would enable their opinions—the result of their experience and knowledge—to be ex pressed and placed on permanent record for the benefit of future development in the Pacific.

One could speak for hours on the political importance of the Pacific Islands territories, in relation to world affairs, but time forbids.

Quite recently, I have read the opinions (in speeches, articles and books) of three men— Sir Hubert Murray, Administrator of Papua, Sir Henry Scott, of Suva; and Mr. C. Bruns don Fletcher, editor of The Sydney Morning Herald—concerning the future of the Pacific; and the thought occurred to me that it would be a fine thing if we could get men of this type together, to discuss, in a broad way, the future of the Pacific Islands in relation to the future of the great nations —some of European and some of Asiatic culture—which lie around the Pacific.

That is the bigger idea behind the plan to form such an Association. But there are smaller, though very important, purposes to be served. There is a great demand for information about the Pacific Islands —not only in connection with trade development and settlement opportunities, but also as a region of growing attractiveness to tourists.

We have a plan, for submission to the execu tive of the Association in due course, by which it may be possible, by catering for this demand for information, to provide head quarters and club-room facilities free of cost to the Association.

There is a definite demand for some sort of central office or club-room, preferably in Sydney, for the use of residents and ex residents of the Pacific Islands —a place where they may meet and attend to correspondence when in Sydney; where they may see the various Islands newspapers and magazines; where the numerous reports, Bluebooks, rec ords, etc., relating to the Pacific territories, may be filed—a place, which will be, in short, a focussing point for all Pacific Islands inter ests, from Tahiti in the East, to Papua in the West; and from Norfolk Island in the South, to Hawaii in the North. It will be a place where groups of men and women from the different territories may meet together socially. Why not a New Guinea section, a Papuan section, a Fiji section, and so on.

There might be more than one branch of the Association: if there were a branch office, or room, in Auckland, it might be more suitable for members in the Eastern and Central groups.

That is the general idea, presented for your consideration.

The convenors wish to emphasise that there is no thought of making the Pacific Islands Association serve any interest or section. The plan is wide open for the reception of any suggestion or idea you may put forward. It is hoped that membership may be sought primarily among Islands residents; but there is no thought of limiting it to any parti cular people. Membership should be available to anyone of good standing, who is suffi ciently interested in Pacific Islands affairs to desire membership. What is wanted is simply a genuine, co-operative effort to advance the interests of the Pacific Islands, make the attractions of these beautiful lands far more widely known, and do everything possible to protect and assist the various native races.

The following motion was moved by Mr. H. A. Ross (formerly of Papua): That, in the opinion of this meeting, it is desir able that an organisation, to be called the Pacific Islands Association, be formed; that its objects be generally those outlined in the circular calling this meeting; and that a provisional committee be appointed to seek support for such a move ment, arrange the details of the organisation, pre pare a draft constitution, and embody all such proposals in a general plan, to be submitted to a general meeting early in the new year, such provisional committee to hold office only until the appointment of office-bearers and executive by the first general meeting.

Mrs. Elizabeth Mahony (formerly a well known trader and planter at Sud est, in the Louisade Archipelago) sec onded the motion and commended the objects of the movement.

Mr. W. Bruce Rainsford said that, while he was not an Islands resident, he was a very frequent visitor to New Caledonia, where he had various inter ests. There were possibilities of big developments in connection with the South Sea Islands, and an Association of the kind proposed could do much to assist in that direction. He laid parti lar stress on the importance of better communications.

Mrs. Hamilton Lewis (formerly of

Papua) urged the importance of the

proposed organisation from the point

of view of the women residents of the Pacific. A women’s committee could do valuable work by looking after the

children of Pacific residents, when they

were coming to school in Australia and New Zealand, or departing therefrom.

They could perform such functions as arranging hotel or flat accommodation, or private hospital accommodation, or making purchases for members com ing down from the Islands. There was great scope for a women’s bureau at tached to the Association, and such an organisation would be very valu able.

Mr. J. W. Baldie declared that the practical usefulness of an Association was almost limitless, and he believed it would be heartily supported by Is

lands residents.

Various speakers emphasised that from the beginning, the Association

must be regarded as an organisation

for the benefit and help of Island residents, rather than of ex-residents The interest and co-operation of to latter were essential, however, as much of the executive work would have to be done by members resident in Aus tralia and New Zealand.

The motion was carried unanimously.

The meeting agreed to the appoint ment, until the first regular general meeting, of a provisional committee with power to add to its numbers, so that it may be representative of the various Islands groups and territories.

The hon. secretary, pro tem., is Mr Jas. W. Baldie, P.O. Box 3408 R, Gen eral Post Office, Sydney.