Papuan Native’S Public
p. 32 · Read in the full issue
Spirit
AN interesting report received in Can berra in September on the erection of an isolation hospital in the native village of Hanuabada, Papua, shows that the Papuan native Is not lacking in public spirit.
The report, which was made by the Government Secretary to the Lieutenant- Governor, is as follows: “The Resident Magistrate let a contract to a native named Sisia Vaike to build an isolation hospital in Hanuabada for those affected with tuberculosis. The money for the hospital was found from native taxation funds. Sisia made a fine job of it.
“Sisia had been working for some time with a private employer as a carpenter at £5 a month and gave up the job to take the hospital contract. I asked the Resi dent Magistrate to find out, if he could, whether Sisia had made any money at the job. He discovered that there was a loss, and, on pointing this out, Sisia said some thing to this effect, ‘Very likely; but I was not looking for profit. I wanted to build this hospital for my village.’ ”
“I think,” wrote Sir Hubert Murray, when sending the report to the Minister in Charge of Islands Territories (Sir H.
Lawson), “that such public spirit and in difference to personal interest is not very common, even in the higher culture.”