Insolent Natives

The Trouble In New Guinea

THERE have been some lively ex changes between the Administration of New Guinea and the Committee of the Citizens’ Association concerning the alleged lack of discipline and growing insolence among the natives in Rabaul.

It was reported, on February 3, that there was to be a conference between the Administrator and the Committee.

On December 30, nine planters of Namatanai district, New Ireland (Messrs Bell, Coleman, Brereton, Hanson, Tup ling. Kapple, Gow, Lanzarote and Mul laly) wrote to the Rabaul Times com plaining of bad conditions in their dis trict. They said: — ‘‘Insolence is rampant, not only in the houses, but on the plantations, and latterly mob violence has broken out, with every indication of it spreading.

Recently, a combined premeditated assault was made on a lone planter by plantation labourers in this district. Two of the natives were sen fenced to one month’s imprisonment, whilst a third who pleaded guilty went free. The planter states, also, that the lecture delivered by the magistrate could be construed by the natives that they acted quite correctly in attacking the white man, and was in fact, a form of commendation for their act. He further explained that he was not punishing them for attacking their master so much as for their not coming direct to him, the District Officer.

“It is our considered opinion (and all the under signed have many years experience in handling labour) that no white child, woman, or man is safe in this district until discipline is restored, and that it is rapidly becoming utterly impossible to carry on the working of plantations.”

Since then, natives in that district savagely attacked a European plantation manager, and one of them was sentenced to two months’ imprisonment. Another gang refused to work for another man ager (a Chinese) and threatened to kill him. The D.O., in this case, had an inquiry made by a native police-boy, who was received with open arms by his grinning compatriots.

Letters which have reached the P.I.M. from New Guinea indicate that a section of the returned soldier planters are de terred from making a demonstration against the Administration only because they fear that anything of the sort may be used against Australia by Germany.