Truculent Native Labourers.

Need for Official Inquiry in New Ireland.

In conversations and in private let ters, we continue to receive complaints about native labour conditions in New Ireland ( T.N.G. ), and particularly in the Kavieng district. The circumstances indicate that an unsatisfactory state of things has persisted there for years.

The native labourers there appear to be more difficult to handle than in any other part of the Territory. They are cheeky, truculent and very ready to assault the white men. It does not seem to be due to the class of natives employed, as they are drawn from the same sources as labourers in other dis tricts.

As an official investigation of the position seems urgently necessary to ascertain the cause of the trouble — whether it is the special truculence of the natives, or a wrong attitude by the employers, or weakness on the part of the Government officials —we publish hereunder extracts from a private letter just received in Sydney. The writer is a planter, and as his letter was not written for publication, several para graphs have been omitted.

I wish to draw your attention to the state of affairs generally existing in the district of New Ireland at present (March, 1933).

There is no doubt, whatever, that there is an organised go-slow policy among the indentured labourers on prac tically the whole of the plantations in this district.

Since my arrival here, I have talked the matter over with various planters and other members of the community, and without exception, they say it has all been caused by Government officials spoon-feeding the natives.

Feeling is very bitter against one official here on account of the attitude he has taken up, ever since he has been in the district. . . . Numerous in stances could be quoted where labourers have left their work for the most trivial reasons. The gaol here is only a play ground for prisoners, who only look on a spell in gaol as a holiday, since — left the district.

A public meeting has been called for April 13, and the planters and members of the general public seem determined to have a show-down. . . . Personally, I think it would surprise the Adminis trator himself, if he knew of the nature of some of the evidence which will be put forward at that meeting.

Up to the present, planters have been diffident in making complaints against Government officials, for the simple reason the laws of the Territory are so framed that it is a very easy matter for any official to get his own back, seeing that the average planter is only one step ahead of the calaboose at any time.

Where convictions have been obtained against natives for assaults on planters, the sentences imposed on them have only been a farce. The state of affairs generally warrant the re-introduction of “the box.” I see no reason whatever why a District Officer should not be allowed to flog natives for certain offences.

From my own observations, it is obvious that the natives are getting out of hand, not only in this district, but

in other parts of the Territory as well.

Assaults by native labourers against planters are becoming more frequent.

On Karu at least three overseers have been attacked by their own boys. . .

Draper, on Namani, had a shovel thrown at him the other day. Gilbert, who is on Shultz’s place, was knocked down and received a pummelling from ten to twelve plantation boys the other day.

Murray’s boys are nearly all in gaol; he was attacked with an axe—attempted murder, without a doubt, and the boy gets charged with common assault! I believe that some of his boys have been remanded to Rabaul in another case, and I hear from a reliable source that certain evidence will be presented in the case in such a way as to show Murray in the worst possible light. Esson on Hillalong had trouble with his labour some time ago also.

The general public have nothing against the District Officers personally.

It Is the word “flogging” that sticks in the neck of the average person.

Immediately it is mentioned, the mind flies to “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” or the Belgian Atrocities; but if “the box” was judiciously used, the Territory would be a much better place to reside in.

As a British subject I hate to mention it, but there is no doubt the natives had far more respect for the Germans than they have for us, for the simple reason that they were more firmly dealt with in the German time. The difficulty seems to be that the Government want to treat the natives as whites, and as long as they continue to do so there will be eternal trouble. . . .

The sooner the Administrator holds an official inquiry into the state of affairs at present existing in this district, the better it will be for everybody con cerned. It is very evident that condi tions will not improve until some drastic action is taken.