New Guinea In The Limelight

New Shipping Law Must-Stand—Schmidt Is Hanged Amid Political Clamour-Possible Imperial Background to Air Merger Plan

¥EW Guinea, during the past month, has received an extraordinary amount of limelight. Its affairs on a number of occasions have received the conspicuous attention of the Commonwealth Parlia ment and of the newspapers. There were three matters which stirred public in terest in Australia, namely:

1. The New Shipping Bill

The amendment to the shipping law, in its application to shipping within the Territory of New Guinea, was referred to in the last issue of this journal. We then described the changes that were contem plated and stated the arguments for and against the new law. We said at the time that, although an agitation against the new ordinance was proceeding in Australia —and also in New Guinea—this agitation appeared to be a waste of time as, in our opinion, the thing was fait accompli. This had been indicated by the manner in which it was introduced and presented.

This proved to be the case. The Aus tralian Prime Minister (Mr. J. A. Lyons), in reply to numerous protests, said sim ply that the whole matter already had received the most careful consideration qf the Government, and that a policy had been formulated with a full sense of re sponsibility; and the Government was quite prepared to stand by that policy.

That was the end of the matter. There is much dissatisfaction in the Territory and elsewhere; but apparently nothing is to be gained by further agitation.

The new shipping law will not operate in New Guinea until about the end of this year; an&, presumably, until then, the N.D.L. ships and the Burns, Philp ships will continue to call at non-Customs ports, as heretofore. The Federal Gov ernment has now invited tenders for carrying mails and performing other essential services, to close on August 31.

This, of course, will represent the con tinuation of the contract which has been held for so many years by Messrs. Burns, Philp & Co. Ltd., which expired nearly two years ago; and which has been carried on since by Messrs. Burns, Philp and Co. Ltd. under a series of short pro forma extensions. It is presumed that Messrs. Burns, Philp & Co. Ltd. will be the only serious tenderer: but it is quite possible that some other organi sation will enter the field. The whole position, of course, is complicated now by the important aviation developments, to which reference is made elsewhere.

There have been long discussions on the matter in the Federal Parliament, and elsewhere, and a summary of same is published hereunder

2. The Hanging of Ludwig

Schmidt

It was reported in our last issue that Ludwig Schmidt, after trial in Rabaul, had been convicted on three separate charges of murder of natives in the Sepik area in New Guinea, and that the sen tence of death had been imposed in each case.

The sentence was confirmed by the Ad ministrator and, presumably, by the Fed eral Government—although the latter confirmation is not necessary. When it w’as realised in Australia that a white man was to be executed in New Guinea there was a considerable stir in Labour’s political circles. The Labour party, as is well-known, is opposed to the death sen tence as punishment for murder. There have been so many brutal murders com mitted in Australia lately that it looks as if the Labour party’s non-execution

policy is going west —but that is another matter. Labour, however, made a most determined effort in the House of Re presentatives at Canberra to prevent the execution of Schmidt, and the House dis cussed the matter for some hours.

The Government, however presum ably after consultation with Rabaul —was quite firm in its determination not to in terfere with the carrying out of the death sentence, and Schmidt was hanged on March 23.

If ever the execution of a European murderer was justified it was in this case. The evidence that he had been guilty of most brutal and callous killings was overwhelming. There has been too much of that kind of thing in recent years, in the more remote parts of New Guinea, and it was time that the white man’s law asserted itself. It was a dread ful decision which had to be made by the judge and confirmed by the Adminis trator; but every man who recognises the nature of Australia’s responsibility in New Guinea will agree that the course which they followed was necessary, proper, and completely justified both on legal and moral grounds.

A summary of the discussions in Aus tralia will be found hereunder.

3. Proposed Aerial Merger

After the strong protest which had been made by a public meeting in Wau against the plan to bring about what was a merger of aviation transport interests in New Guinea, under Government super vision, there was a complete official silence; and it was assumed in some quarters that the plan was dead.

Some colour was given to this by a statement made in Parliament at Can berra by the Minister for Defence (Mr.

Archdale Parkhill) on March 24 in reply to a question by Mr. Roland Green.

Mr. Green asked: “Is it the policy of the Civil Aviation Department to force the air services in New Guinea to merge into one company?”

Mr. Parkhill replied: “It is not the policy of the department to force the companies operating into New Guinea into a merger.

Suggestions were made from New Guinea itself that, in view of the importance of aviation there, certain steps were ne cessary to organise the existing services.

The proposal was made that some kind of merger should take place, but the Government is not committed to any policy on the matter. As the local people

are being consulted, and as suggestions are being made with regard to licensing, which may be adopted instead of a merger, the whole matter is under con sideration, and the views of local opera tors and others in the territory will receive the fullest consideration before definite action is taken.”

The general position was wrapped in doubt and uncertainty until the first week in April. It had been said that the Federal Government’s wish to secure a merger was induced by certain important Imperial considerations; but the critics in New Guinea apparently did not take this suggestion very seriously.

Early in April, however, a most in teresting report was published. It then appeared that New Guinea may be vitally concerned in the proposed re-organisation of the air mail service between Australia and London. The Sydney-Singapore section of this service has been carried out by Australian land planes; and for months a somewhat acrid argument has been proceeding between Australia and Britain concerning Imperial Airways’ desire to replace those land planes with the large flying boats which Imperial Airways are now building. Australia argued that for the Sydney-Darwin sec tion at least land planes were essential.

But it is now suggested that it is pro posed to abandon the present route between Sydney and Singapore (a large section of which is over the Dutch East Indies), and to inaugurate instead a route serviced by sea-planes which will run from Singapore to North Borneo, thence south-eastwards through the Moluccas to New Guinea (presumably the Madang- Morobe Goldfields region), and thence southwards across the thin end of Papua to the Australian coast, and southwards along the latter coast to Brisbane and Sydney.

This new route would have manifest advantages. It would be nearly all over British territory; it would permit the complete use of flying-boats, which have very great advantages over land planes; and it would eliminate much waste fly ing over the barren centre of Australia and over foreign territories. The develop ment of such a route, of course, would add greatly to the economic value of Papua and New Guinea. The linking of the Imperial Airways route with New Guinea would affect the aviation trans port position in New Guinea; and possibly that is a main reason at the back of the aerial transport merger plan.

This important new development is dealt with elsewhere; while hereunder will be found a summary of various dis cussions which have taken place on the aerial merger. —

(Continued on next page)