Comparisons

Are Odious

New Guinea and Solomons Reviewed By Recent Nyasaland Resident

Letter to the Editor AST have lived eight years in a Protectorate and a Mandated Territory in Africa (Nyasaland and Tanganyika Territory) and as the British Solomons and New Guinea are a Protectorate and a Mandated Territory respectively, a com parison of a few facts as between the two places might be of interest.

A favourite topic of conversation in New Guinea is native labour. I was a nlanter in Nyasaland with a Bne of boys, children and women, up to 300 all told. As far as I know there is no Native Labour Ordinance in Nyasaland. The only time the Government take an interest in native labour there is when natives go to the D.O. and complain that they have not been paid for three or four months.

The Government in Nyasaland do not care if labour is paid £lO a month or lOd. They are uninterested if natives are worked one hour or twelve, or if the planter makes 24 or 31 days constitute a month. Thev are indifferent about their health on a plantation, so long as there is no contagious disease. They do not worry about where they come from or bow many are at work, or anything else about them. The planter may feed them on peaches and cream, or nothing at all.

The usual ration was 121bs. of corn. 21bs. of beans and a tablespoon of salt per week, and their pay. 6/- for boys, 1/6 to 2/6 for kids, and 3/- for women per month of 27 days. Posho (rations) cost about Id. per day, or 6d. per week in lieu thereof. They were not issued with tobacco, soap, laplaps or blankets.

Corn is a more nutritious diet than Saigon rice. Beans, I am sure, are better and cheaper than tinned “pish” or “bulla makow.” Natives in this part of the world seem to get more blankets, laplaps, tobacco, marmite, tins of fish, sharps,

matches and soap thrown at them than they know what to do with.

The indenture system of labour is the rule in this part of the world, and natives are used to it, so it would not be advis able to do away with it, as there is noth ing to take its place. But it seems to me that it could be vastly improved and simplified. Or imported indentured labourers could be used, which would save the Government and the missions a great deal of worry.

The native is bribed to “make paper,” and then he has to complete one, two or three years as the case may be. His attitude then becomes the same as the gentleman in broad-arrows who was wheeling a barrowful of sand. He was asked why he moved so slowly and his reply was that he had 15 years to finish that particular job. It is against the law to make the native more faster with a stick, or even to swear at him. He can, of course, be taken to the Map and charged with not showing reasonable diligence in the performance of his duties. Perhaps this entails a voyage of 50 miles for the manager of the planta tion, with a flock of witnesses, in a schooner, and the outcome is 30 davs* gaol. Meanwhile, what happens to the plantation ?

There seems to be much trouble over “Peeping Toms,” and natives entering white women’s rooms in Rabaul and other centres. There was some trouble of a similar nature in Blantyre, Nyasa land: but in half the cases the object was burglarv. The natives responsible bad been to Johannesburg - and worked in the mines and had learned bad habits there. Ladv mission workers can and do ride small motor-bikes all over the countrv, and they sleep in native villages 60 miles away from towns, in perfect security.

Of course, the maioritv of natives will not leave their villages without their women. Or if they do they Quickly form a temporary liaison with a local woman.

In New Guinea, where there are thousands of natives working hundreds of miles away from their women, I should imagine there is plenty of cause for trouble. There seem to be numerous court cases to bear out this statement.

The majority of single planters in other territories keep native mistresses, as a matter of course. I think it is a fact that New Guinea is about the onlv excep tion within the British Colonial Empire to-day. In Nyasaland. the planters pre fer to get mission-trained girls, if nos sible—of course, without the consent and blessing of the mission!

In Nyasaland, with a poniflation of 2,000,000 natives, I doubt if th e re are more than 100 missionaries of all de nominations. In New Guinea, there are 600 or 700 missionaries all told, I have been informed, yet the known native ponulation is about 700,000. I mav be mistaken in these rough figures; but the fact remains that the ratio of mission aries to natives is very much greater in this territory.

I was once required to return a census of natives at work for me and also their religions. I stated that 85% were Pagans,

10% Mahommedans, and 5% Christians (that is, those who attended church occa sionally or had been to a mission school).

The missions, besides religious teaching in Nyasaland, taught the three R’s and carpentry, blacksmithing and various trades, etc. Here, they seem to be much more interested in business enterprises, such as planting, saw-milling and pur chasing copra. This is borne out by the fact that they are forced to register as limited companies. They do not seem to be much concerned with penetrating into areas where the natives have no money—unless the area is a cheap recruit ing ground.

I am, etc.,

F. W. Parsons.

Kokopo, T.N.G., March 30, 1937.