Desperate Plight of Norfolk Is

Norfolk Is.

Continuing Futility of Appeals to Politicians

THE people of Norfolk Island—about 1,000 European men and women—are on the verge of starvation. Yet the majority of them are land-owners; the land of Norfolk Island is immensely fer tile: Norfolk Island produces in profu sion all kinds of fruits and vegetables of high quality; and the climate of Norfolk Island is one of the best in the world.

In ordinary circumstances the people of Norfolk Island should be happy and comparatively rich. Actually, they have become desperately poor. Norfolk Island, in a sentence, is an outstanding example of the asininity of modern methods of government, with its tariffs and quotas and half-understood economic nostrums.

Norfolk Island, originally, was ad ministered from New South Wales. Then came Federation, and Norfolk Island became a Territory of the Common wealth, somewhat similar to Papua. For many years Norfolk Island jogged along happily, “the world forgotten, by the world forgot.”

Then someone, somewhere, decided that the Island should be “developed.” The Commonwealth Government, ten years ago, advertised Crown leaseholds for sale on most favourable terms, and a considerable number of Australian people went to Norfolk Island, took up land there, built their homes, established plantations and proposed to spend the remainder of their lives making a modest living by exporting fruit, vegetables, etc., to Australia and New Zealand. For a few years the community lived and grew according to programme.

Then, about five years ago, everything went awry. Australia began to impose restrictions against produce from Nor folk Island. The Norfolk Island trade and traffic shrank, and the shipping ser vices were curtailed. Australia and New Zealand began to throw tariff restric tions at each other, and New Zealand decided to keep out various kinds of Australian produce. For this purpose the produce of Norfolk Island, as a Ter ritory administered by the Common wealth, was classified as “Australian produce,” and the Norfolk Islanders lost the valuable New Zealand market.

In so many words, Norfolk Island, during the last two years, has been prac tically shut out from every market; and the Norfolk Island residents in conse quence have been deprived of the means of buying even the simplest necessities of life.

If the Commonwealth Government had had any sense of responsibility, it would long since have seen to it that, if the New Zealand market was to remain closed, a suitable market was provided in Australia for Norfolk Island produce.

As a matter of fact Sydney, without the slightest difficulty, could absorb every bit of the high-quality produce that might be sent from Norfolk Island. But, at the slightest suggestion of anything of the kind, there would be a howl from some of the primary producers around Sydney; and as the latter have votes, and the unfortunate Norfolk Islanders have none, the politicians of Canberra have never troubled their heads about the plight of the Norfolk Islanders.

Very recently, driven to desperation, the Norfolk Islanders sent a petition to the Commonwealth Government, praying for relief; and there appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald very outspoken articles by Messrs. J. Barnes, F. Pollard, B. W. Baldwin and Mrs. Sylvia Morgan.

The frank statements of these people about conditions on Norfolk Island could not be ignored, even by the politicians; and it has now been announced by Sir George Pearce (the new Minister-in- Charge of Islands Affairs) that some thing is going to be done about it. Sir George Pearce, in characteristic manner, has announced that the Government has been doing its best to induce New Zeal and to admit Norfolk Island bananas and that New Zealand has most inconsider ately refused. Why New Zealand, which is under obligations to admit bananas from its own Territories of Cook Islands and Samoa, should admit also bananas from the Australian Territory of Norfolk Island, while Australia herself does noth ing to encourage that trade, is something that is not explained. How typical of the politician mind!

Norfolk Island could easily become famous as Sydney’s garden and holiday resort. If the politicians are too feeble and futile to do anything with the Ter ritory—and the history of the past two decades shows that they are—the Island should be handed over to a chartered company to be developed under proper safeguards. Under such circumstances, the present residents of the Island would become prosperous within a few years, and Norfolk Island would be a credit to Australia, instead of a reproach.

Our recommendation to the Norfolk Islanders is that they take whatever steps are necessary to ensure constant publicity and agitation, directing atten tion to their condition, until such time as Canberra is forced to act. Long ex perience has shown that there is only one way in which politicians can be compelled to act in any matter that requires any effort, and a decision, and that is by ceaseless and merciless pub licity. It would not be a costly matter for Norfolk Island, and it would ensure that something was done. Otherwise, the unhappy condition of these voteless people will be ignored by the politicians just as long as they will suffer in silence.

The following monthly return from Norfolk Island, for the month of Decem ber, shows the position:

Imports

Month From Aust. From N.Z. £ £ December, 1933 2274 .. 716 December, 1934 1502... nil

Exports

Month To Aust. To N.Z. £ £ December, 1933 923 .. 105 December, 1934 410 .. nil