Asiatic Labour

Should It Be Introduced In New Guinea?

Letter to the Editor DURING the recent sitting of the Legislative Council in Rabaul, one of the members, Mr. McLennan, spoke on the desirability of Asiatic immigration into the Territory, quoting from the re port of Major Ainsworth who, I believe, visited New Guinea about 1924.

Major Ainsworth admitted that the then Chinese residents in Rabaul were not all that they should be, either from an efficiency or an economic standpoint.

But he thought that more efficiency and much lower charges would be obtained from them by the competition of unre stricted Asiatic immigration. Mr. Mc- Lennan endorsed Major Ainsworth’s re port and seemed to infer that competi tion, through the introduction of Asiatic labour, would be the life of trade. Mr.

McLennan, in his address, said that the position of some junior Government offi cials could be more efficiently and much more cheaply filled by Asiatic labour.

Now, if this Territory were allowed a free hand in the introduction of Asiatic labour, what would be the result? As the Councillor has pointed out, the junior Government positions would be filled by Asiatics and it is quite apparent that European plantation managers and all skilled artisans would be dispensed with for cheaper labour. Last, and not the least, the mining interests on the New Guinea goldfields would have a free hand, and they would see that Australian and British miners took a back seat on their paysheets!

The same kind of argument was put forward by the mining interests in the Transvaal after the last South African war, with the result that many thousands of Chinese were employed on the Trans vaal gold mines. But the heaven-sent blessing of Asiatic labour in the Trans vaal did not have the desired result, and the experiment in new fields of economic adventure was a failure, and the Chinese vanished from the fields. Still, Johannes burg lives and the Rand mines still pay a dividend.

On the question of Asiatic immigration to New Guinea, what; would be the posi tion of Japan? Would Japan get the foothold she so much desires in New Guinea? After reading your very inter esting article in January on “The Thrust ing Power of Japan,” the stand that Japan would take if this Territory was open to het people, is apparent.

Would Mr. McLennan and his suppor ters in Rabaul welcome Japanese immi gration to this Territory? Some may say that such a thing is impossible, but I venture the opinion that what happened in the Hawaiian Islands and California could and would happen in New Guinea.

With the European situation as it is, and with Japan pressing southwards in the Pacific and trying to get a footing in the Dutch East Indies, this would not be for

the good of Australia and the British Empire. J !

May Australia stand fast to the ideals of her immigration laws, even if it is against the wishes of Mr. McLennan and vested interests in the Territory.

I am, etc.,

Territorial.

Morobe, T.N.G.,