Criticism Of N.G. Legislative Council

Charge That Native, Asiatic, and Half-Caste Interests are not Properly Safeguarded (CONTRIBUTED BY A RESIDENT OF NEW GUINEA)

THE traditional policy of Britain is to give the largest measure of self-gov ernment to the different peoples of its vast and scattered possessions. When civil administration replaced military occupa tion in the Mandated Territory of New Guinea on May 9, 1921, nothing was more natural than that the desire for some sort of local self-government would become popular. But the problem then, as now, was what sort of local self-government could be set up that would legislate with justice, equity and efficiency under the Mandate in such a cosmopolitan land?

The Territory is not owned by Australia or even by Britain. Australia is for the time being merely its caretaker, or mana ger, and responsible to a higher power at Geneva.

The Mandate which Australia holds states that the material and moral welfare, as well as the social progress of those liv ing under the Mandate, must be the first consideration.

The peoples comprise black, white, and Asiatic. By far the largest portion of the population are the natives, low in mental ity, even among native races, and obviously unfit to take any part in government. Next comes a large and rapidly increasing Asiatic and half-caste population, almost all of whom are locally born and conse quently can claim to be true natives of the soil. These people, though socially in ferior to Europeans, are well educated, and full contributors to the taxes of the Terri tory. Lastly, there is the ever changing European section of the people, most of whom are Australians who arrived after the war.

Doubtless a very difficult problem faced Canberra in providing a Legislative Coun cil. After much delay and discussion it was decided that the Council should com prise the heads of the various Government Departments, under the Presidency of the Administrator, and a number of non official members representing planters miners, and commercial interests.

Obviously, the only one in the Council apart from the Administrator, with any interest in native or Asiatic and half-caste welfare is the Director of Native Services.

The official members are city men, and the planters, miners and others are purely in terested parties.

The question arose when the Council was in process of formation as to what repre sentation the large body of Christian mis sionaries should have in it. Many of these spe " t their lives and talents in uplifting the natives and are lightening taxation by their purely gratuitous work in the fields of education and public health.

Colonel Ainsworth, in his masterly re the affairs of the Territory, stated that the missionaries are the only people uho really know the natives; yet they are in spite of more than a half-century of experience, unrepresented in a Council whose activities should embrace native welfare.

TjVDLLOWING the deliberations of the Legislative Council, it is difficult to evade the conclusion that it is becoming more and more the mouthpiece of the Planters’ Association. That benign body is of comparatively recent origin. Many of its members are not very experienced

planters. They secured, on money bor rowed from the Islands Companies, the plantations taken from the pioneer Ger man planters, who happened to be the subjects of a conquered race. This body assists to lay down a policy to be followed in the Territory and. I fear, often from narrow and interested motives.

Until a few years ago, the Chinese trader was a well-known and appreciated identity in most native villages. He bought the coconuts of the natives and paid for them with cash on the spot. Moreover, his well filled little store was a boon to village life.

A few years ago a cry was raised that these Chinese traders were buying coco nuts stolen by the natives from neigh bouring plantations. The charge, which probably contained a modicum of truth, resulted in the closing of all stores within two miles of a plantation.

What has been the result?

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THE Chinese, most of whom are local born, were driven to the already gested areas known as “Chinatowns” around the ports, where no employment is available. In the villages, the natives, instead of selling their produce on the spot for cash, are forced to bring it to the local planter, who pays for it with sticks of tobacco.

Imagine a native carrying thirty nuts a mile or even two miles to be rewarded with a threepenny stick of tobacco! When they asked the planters to come up with a motor lorry into the village, and collect the produce as the Chinese trader had done, the request was laughed at. The

result is that large areas of country, with numerous villages and thousands of na tives, are virtually controlled by a handful of planters who can state their own con ditions to the natives.

Go into the villages, and the same sorry sight is everywhere met —thousands of coconuts rotting into the ground, merely because the Chinese trader has been driven out, and it is well nigh impossible to dis pose of the produce now.

The present Administrator evidently saw the baneful effect of the two-mile limit system, and abolished it;, but, as usual, only the planter’s case is presented, and the native is ignored. Now attempts are being made to restore the system which has already resulted in the loss of thous ands of tons of produce to the Territory.

WHEN the Native Labour Ordinance was to be introduced by the Director of Native Services, threats were made to ruin his reputation unless the proposed Ordinance was shorn of every item dis pleasing to the Planters’ Association.

Ninety questions were prepared, most of which were quite irrelevant, concerning statements alleged to have been made by the Director in England concerning the opening up of the New Guinea country.

In my opinion, there is not a member of the Council who has a complete and pro per knowledge of those two large bodies of people (Native and Asiatic). Yet we were told by General Griffith, on the opening day, that the Legislative Council was for the benefit of the Territory as a whole, and not one section of it.

When will those pressing problems— native education, child-welfare, orphan welfare, housing of Asiatics and half castes, education of Asiatics and half castes —come up for discussion? Never, in my opinion, until the Legislative Council includes adequate representation of those classes of people most in need of help.