Officers.

Selection Of N.G.

Why Not Use Local Experience?

[Letter to the Editor ] What is wrong with the Govern ment calling for applications for cadets for the N.G. Service right here?

Cadets from South, after having huge sums spent on them, are often found unsuitable through health reasons, or their inability to handle natives. It would be interesting to know the number of cadets, and offi cers appointed from cadets, discharged or resigned (terms often synonymous) and the amounts spent, and wasted, on them.

There are dozens of men here with good records who understand the na tive and the country, who are trained “finish” in the finest school of all, i.e., experience, and at no cost to the Gov ernment. Should the question of their educational fitness arise, it would be fair to question that of a dozen D.O.’s and A.D.O.’s who have been officiating for years.

I have been handling big labour lines for many years and contend that cadets and Government officers “learn” the native from the wrong “end.” In fact, Government officials backed by hordes of police-boys, never can know the local natives. Several D.O.’s who later owned or managed plantations have admitted that. They realise now that they “savvied” the native the wrong way round; that they should have first known the kanaka as pri vate individuals, then been appointed to official positions. The cunning and often deep-laid schemes the kanakas put across appal them. They would never have believed it possible in their D.O. days; hence the cold reception the planter got, and still gets, from the official with no previous experience.

Good men with that experience are right here, and out of jobs.

There is much anthropology and no practical knowledge of the local na tive. For instance, an old time D.O. who had worked natives prior to ap pointment, told the kanakas to build a rest house. They did, and some ten years later I acquired the land, and had literally to pull the house down.

Fairly recently, an anthropology soaked A.D.O. gave the lads instruc tions to build another house —and it fell down in eight months. I asked them, would they have built such a house for the old D.O. They grinned and said, “No, him —he savvy fashion belong kanaka. This fella (meaning the anthropology artist) he savvy nothing.”

I am, etc.,

Malolo,

New Ireland, 8/3/33.

EDITORIAL NOTE. —Our correspondent puts his finger on the most prolific cause of trouble in the Territory—namely, the inability of many D.O.’S and A.D.O.’s to understand properly the relationship between the white employer and the native labourer. There can be no objection to the officer acquiring a knowledge of science—so long as his anthropology teaches him that the only possible way to really control New Guinea boys is per medium of the cane, judiciously ap plied to that portion of the anatomy provided by nature for the purpose. The present system— moral suasion, threat of calaboose, protection of black brother against the rapacious white - when

administered by self-boiled officials, has led to untold trouble, and the position is steadily be coming worse.