Damn Canberra!

“Rabaul Times” Is Outspoken on Territory's Vital Problem.

NATIVE labourers in the Mandated Territory of New Guinea, to an in creasing degree, are getting out of hand.

Frequently, in this journal, in sober and reasoned language, we have stated the position. No one has taken any notice. So, once more, we summarise the problem.

New Guinea natives understand only one form of discipline—the discipline that is supported, wherever necessary, by prompt corporal punishment. Em ployers are not allowed to cane their “boys”; even a smack on the ear, with the open hand, means that “white fella marster” can be taken by his triumphant servant to the “house kiap,’’ where the “kiap” (district officer) is bound by law to impose a punishment on the employer.

If the employer keeps within the letter of the law, and hales his disobedient servant before the D.O., the most the latter can do is to order a term of im prisonment; and the calaboose has no terrors whatever for the now sophisti cated New Guinea kanaka. Naturally, the native labourers have come to regard employers, kiaps, and “guv-ment” with a measure of cheery contempt. Dis cipline is more and more difficult to enforce along the plantation labour lines.

That is bad enough. But, behind it all, there is something more ugly and sinister— and that is the threat against the safety of white women in the Terri tory. Nothing can be gained by going into details, but it can be said, plainly and definitely, that several “incidents” in the past couple of years have shown a tendency on the part of native house servants and plantation labourers to make attacks on white women. These offenders have been punished severely, but that does not remove the evil, or the threat it represents. The fault lies in the system under which these natives are permitted to misunderstand the relationship between white and, black, and to become cheeky and insolent in their attitude towards their European masters. One would almost suppose, in deed, that they had read in “Hansard” the speeches of certain bumble-footed Lang-ites in the Commonwealth Parlia ment during the last full-dress debate on New Guinea!

The fault lies in the system, and blame for the continuance of the system goes wholly to the Australian Federal Government. Planters, district officers and N.G. Administration have sought for reform of the system; departmental officials have approved, but Minister after Minister, afraid that some loud mouthed demagogue will bawl about "slavery in New Guinea,” has subverted his better judgment to the expediency

of vote-catching.

Nothing has been done, and the posi tion goes steadily from bad to worse.

Outspoken Newspaper.

Finally, the Territory newspaper, the "Rabaul Times,” has lost all patience, and editorially has cursed the pro crastinating politicians of Canberra. On July 28, after warmly praising the work of the Administration, the newspaper says:— In one respect—and a very important

respect—the Administration has failed.

The responsibility of this failure, however, cannot be placed entirely at the door of the local authorities, who have been forced to sit, with tied hands, while superior legislators at Canberra have ordered the tune while the Territory has had to pay the piper.

The price which we are called upon to pay is the present unsatisfactory relationship which exists between the White and the Black; between the white employer and the native employee throughout a greater portion of the Territory. More especially is this unsatisfactory attitude remarked in those areas where the natives have reached a higher state of evolution.

From many quarters of the Territory come reports of disobedience and lack of discipline amongst indentured labourers, as well as the free native.

Cases of this nature appearing in the Courts of Justice are on the increase.

The methods employed by the natives, in order to show the advances made by them in their evolution, are becoming more serious as the years go by; until one stops to wonder to how serious a

state these methods may be allowed to go.

Flagrant disobedience, dumb in solence, open mutiny and violence can not be allowed to continue, and it is the Administration’s responsibility to make an end of these methods adopted by the natives for the purpose of em phasising their acceptance of our civilised methods, Such breaches of discipline and downright disrespect of the white man must be met with such strong disciplinary measures that they will be understood by the native as being a corrective.

The most suitable measure to be adopted by the Administration is for magistrates, in outlying districts of the Territory, to have the power of summarily delivering corporal punishment, in the form of canings, to natives found guilty of breaches of discipline. the

introduction of such corrective would,

without a doubt, act as an immediate deterrent to the concerted acts of violence, open disrespect and "go slow" policies which ware being carried out by so many natives at the present time.

The suggestion has been made that

such a measure would never be ap proved by the authorities at Canberra, The very name Canberra has become far too much of a bogey in this Terri tory. It savours too much of the “Big Policeman” who is used by the nurse to frighten a child into submission.

The sooner Canberra and the people of Australia, who put the men in power at Canberra, realise that this Territory has reached the stage when it knows what it wants and has, at the head of affairs, a man capable of appreciating what is best for this Territory, the better it will be for all concerned.

It is ludicrous that Australian poli ticians, whose seats depend on a grazing or “cocky-farming” community in Vic toria, New South Wales, or where you please, should get up in the House and veto vital legislation affecting this Territory, from fear that their con stituents in the Woop-Woops of Aus tralia will not approve of the actions of their parliamentary representatives.

What do these constituents know of our wants or conditions in New Guinea?

How would they like vital points of policy regarding wheat or wool to be discussed by New Guinea residents whose interests are copra and gold?

We have our own problems to solve.

The delegating to magistrates of power to inflict canings will solve one of our biggest problems. Let our own legis lators now get busy before it is too late.

Mr. N. A. Pyne has retired from the post of Collector at Haapai after 12 years’ service under the Government of Tonga. Owing to the depression, the position at Haapai has been abolished, and Nukualofa and Vavau are now the only ports of entry in the Protectorate.

Mr. Pyne, with his wife and four child ren, has settled down in Sydney for the present.