Insolent Servants

Problem in New Guinea

1T was urged in the issue of this journal -I of February 21 that the Administration of New Guinea should take notice of the discontent that is growing there in relation to the maintenance of discipline among native servants. It was emphasised that the tolerance insisted upon by the Adminis trative officials (as a result of their read ing of the Mandate) was accepted by the natives as weakness; with the result that the insolence and arrogance of the Euro peanised natives are becoming intolerable, and most certainly will lead to serious trouble.

It is therefore interesting to note that in the Rabaul Times of February 14, Mr.

Gordon Thomas has published an out spoken article on exactly the same subject, and adopted almost exactly the same line of argument. But where we dealt only in generalities, Mr. Thomas gives details and actual instances; and the Administration will be a very strange Administration indeed if it can ignore his article, which is moderate in tone, but irresistible in its conclusions.