Natives Growing Rice.

Papuan Plantations Promise Well.

From Our Own Correspondent.

Pt. Moresby, March 2.

THE native coffee plantations and rice fields at Sangara and on the main land behind Yule Island, Papua, are showing great promise.

A mule team has recently been trans ferred to the district of the coffee plan tations to provide transport between Sangara and Buna.

The natives in behind Yule have lately made such progress in the planting of rice that it is intended to transfer the rice-milling plant, at present in Port Moresby, to the district near Monda, in the hills. The harvest of rice this year has exceeded that of any of the previous years, the natives of that division seem ing to recognise at last the great advan tages they may gain in the industry.

For many years, especially in the Gulf Division, they reluctantly worked at this scheme of the Government, for their benefit, failing to see any advantage to themselves and regarding it in the light of forced labour. But this was more than ten years ago, and the Papuan has travelled a long way since then. Even the Gulf native, who is consistently lazy, has learnt the advantages of work, since employment is not so easy to ob tain, and money has a very definite value.

In a speech made in reference to the coffee plantations in the Northern Divi sion (Sangara) a chief encouraged his people to work on them more regularly.

It is amusing to read this Papuan’s review of the past history of Papua.

“Many years ago,” said the chief, ad dressing his people, “when the white men first came to New Guinea, they shot us and carried us away. Then came King Victoria. He was a very good man. He was very wild and stopped it. But after a while he died, and the shooting began again. Then King William came (Sir William MacGregor). He was very wild, too. He stopped the shooting also, but in time he also died, and the shooting was as before. Then came Judge Mur ray (Sir Hubert Murray). He, too, stopped the shooting, but he made us work; and now, suppose plenty work, no more shooting. And we must work very hard.” . . .

These plantations are a part of a scheme to teach the Papuan industries which will give them interests, in place of the customs the Government has thought necessary to abolish.

Natives working on these plantations are exempt from taxation. The proceeds from the plantations go half to the vil lage people and the other half, the Gov ernment claims for the Native Taxation Fund —a fund held in trust for the na tives of the Territory.

The tourist yacht “Stella Polaris,” which was chartered by Messrs. Ray mond, Whitcombe and Co., the well known tourist agents of New York, for a cruise of the South Seas, arrived in Suva on February 20. A series of mekes were given by Rewa natives at the Suva Military Parade Ground for the enter tainment of the visitors and in the even ing a dance was held at the Grand Pa cific Hotel. The yacht sailed for Vila, New Hebrides, on February 21.