Islands

Silly Stories About the Islands Old-time Trader Speaks His Mind

Letter to the Editor.

I OFTEN wonder if the old-time writers drew on their imagination as the modern ones do. If any writings dealing with present-day conditions in Papua, and the Mandated Territory, survive, what sort of impressions will they give to the grandchildren of this generation, of con ditions here in 1934?

At a conservative estimate, 85 per cent, of what is published will not bear a mo ment’s investigation. Recently, the authoress of a much-read book, dealing with the early days on Edie Creek, ad mitted that a lot of it was fiction. The word used by her was “romance.”

The outstanding example was the article that appeared in the “Toronto Star,” over the signature of Gordon Sin clair, extracts from which you published in your October number. The vapourings of this absurd youth are too silly to dwell on, except to say that far from being “slave driven,” the natives of N.G. are being “coddled.” I recently travelled with an official of that Territory. He told me that he had to carry out the policy laid down. He had his own idea how it would develop. His picture of what, in his opinion, that would be in five years’ time was far from attractive.

Then, with regard to this small corner of Papua, we have, during the past 18 months, read that “nine out of ten busi ness men coming into this district would be knocked on the head in 24 hours.” We also read of a “sacred valley;” of a party saved by the medical skill of one of its members; of “hostile natives;” of a small party of natives banking 200 (or was it 300?) ounces of gold a week (an odd

hundred ounces of gold is, after all, a trifle while we are at it); of “platinum as big as maize seeds.”

Now, let me clear up a few of those statements, as far as I can. Business men have moved in and out of the dis tricts for many years—one (Jimmy In man) for 32 years. I can give the names of many who have earned a crust in it during the past 20 years. Not one of these men has been molested.

There is no “sacred valley” nor “hostile natives.” The man who wrote this was never out of touch with a store; in fact, had his party walked a little further they would have come to two plantations that were started 20 years ago. Alluvial gold is worked by the natives, having taken the place of copra, but the suggestion of 200 ounces a week is absurd. The best I’ve known, during a number of years, as a licensed gold buyer, was four natives winning a half-ounce a week. There is, however, a fair outlook for reef gold, and platinum will be heard of later. It exists over a very large area.

In your November number we read: “Ere I last left Samarai, I saw a fine house being built which was designed and contracted for, and carried out in every detail —electric light, and garden design, etc. —by brown men.”

The politician, like the rest of us, reads his batch of daily papers. One of them recently advocated that the natives should be represented on the Council. We can safely assume that the mover has never visited the country, or the suggestion would never have been made. But the above is the kind of thing that he reads. It causes him to form an abso lutely wrong impression of the native.

The house was not designed by a native; it was not contracted for by a native; the regulations alone would not permit of a native installing the electric light; the natives neither designed the garden, nor did they do the work.

I am, etc.,

H. Dexter.

Milne Bay, Papua, 4/1/’34.

Motorist’s well-trained wife (to motorist, who has fallen asleep at the wheel): “I don’t mean to dictate to you, George, but isn’t that telegraph-post coming at us awfully fast?”