New Guinea's Chinese Problem

Degeneration of a Once-Valuable Community

Letter to the Editor

“TS Asiatic Community Receiving Jus ■ tice from Australia?” Your corres pondent in the August issue answers your sub-heading with an emphatic “No!”

The question as to what is to be done with this growing community is one that dees definitely exist, and is one that presents alarming features, for there are toe many idle young Chinese hanging about the numerous trade stores through out New Guinea. But it is incorrect to assume that this unhappy state of affairs is due to the administration of the man date by Australia.

The original Chinese settlers brought to New Guinea by the Germans were carpenters, cabinet-makers, shipbuilders, engineers, cooks, waiters, and a number of coolies. The hotels all had Chinese staffs prior to 1921 and, until that year, it was the usual sight to see the ship’s holds and winches invaded by a swarm of half-naked coolies to handle the cargo.

The tradesmen were excellent trained craftsmen, and a good Chinese carpenter or mechanic can hold his own anywhere.

Yet the wages of these men were £6 and £S a month, the coolies a few shillings.

The status of the Chinese residents, right up to the inauguration of the Civil Administration, was low. They were expected to step off the footpath and

raise their headgear when a European passed, and to speak only when addressed.

'T'HIS was all changed in May, 1921. * From that time, a Chinaman was considered a British subject, and an atti tude of servility was neither asked for nor expected. They were given a higher status than that afforded their compat riots in Hong Kong or Singapore—with results to the younger generation which might be expected.

As the skilled tradesmen retired or returned to China, the demand for arti sans became more acute, and those still carrying on their trades were able to ask and receive wages of £l2, £l5 and £lB a month. It was considered, in those days, impossible for a white man to do manual labour in the tropics, not only for health reasons but because it was thought that personal exertion meant a lowering of the white prestige. The high wages being paid to the Chinese artisans began to attract other Chinese who had been cooks, waiters, and coolies. Many of these had never used the tools of the craft to which they now attached themselves, and their work was slow and of shockingly poor quality.

The building and other skilled trades in Australia were severely affected by the

depression in 1929 and, before long, Aus tralian carpenters were working in New Guinea. Their wages were £8 to £lO a month higher than those of the Chinese; but as they worked at twice the speed and with finished results, they were ac tually cheaper. This meant that more and more Chinese found themselves out of employment, and more and more went into trading.

Added to these were the young men returning from school and college in China, partly because of their age, and partly because their parents, now un employed, could no longer afford to keep them there. They merely added to the unemployment. None of these lads had followed in his father’s footsteps and learned a trade and very, very few had more than a smattering of Western edu cation. What education they had acquired was along the classical lines and not of the type that would suit commercial firms. They were in the same position as a young Arts student or Philosophy scholar who suddenly finds himself un able to continue his studies and has to seek a job. Can an Australian boy in toese circumstances earn the £4, £6 or £S a month which the young Chinese in Rabaul regard as insulting?

In Southern New Ireland, some 10 or 12 young “educated” Chinese returned from China to rejoin their parents on plantations and trading stations. These Chinese planters had had no education along Western lines and, in order to comply with the Administration regu lations regarding returns of Agriculture and Native Labour, were compelled to pay a European agent to act for them.

Not one of their sons was able to do the work for his parents, and the European agent is still drawing his fees. the other hand, there are young half-castes who have never left New Guinea, but have received an education from the missions of a type which would suit them for employment as clerks, car penters, and engineers. They have no difficulty in securing work, and at good wages. Yet, no doubt, the “educated”

Chinamen from Chinese colleges and schools consider the half-castes inferior in abdity.

Your correspondent pleads for educa tion of the Chinese by the Administration and points out what is being done for European children. But the missions have schools in Rabaul for the Chinese children equally as good as the European school and, while they are doing the work so well, it would be absurd for the

Administration to interfere. In any case, there is no secondary education in New Gu nea. Children from the schools at Wau, Rabaul, and Kavieng must go to Australia, after the Qualifying Certifi cate.

'TpIIERE is another reason why the young Chinese have made themselves unpopular. That is the insolent and man nerless attitude adopted by many of them towards Europeans, especially European women. When serving in stores they fail to observe the axiom that “the customer must be satisfied.” Their cheeky and slipshod methods, if adopted by sales people in Australian firms, would bring about instant dismissal.

This unpleasant manner is persisted in outside business. We do not ask for servility; but any Chinese who wishes to be regarded as equal to a European, must be prepared to rise when a lady enters his shop and, if he wishes to speak to her in the street, he should learn to raise his hat and observe the usual courtesies towards women. Nor do we like to hear of our friends spoken

or as “Dicky Brown” or “Bill Jones.” The young Chinese mean no harm; but they do not realise that such familiarities are only permitted because of long and per sonal acquaintance with Mr. Brown or Mr. Jones.

The parents of these lads were China men of the old school: whether artisan or coolie, they were invariably courteous,

and real Chinese gentlemen, and we treated them as such, even if our con versation was limited to “pidgin”

English.

SPHERE is still another reason which has closed an avenue of employment to the Chinese.

In a country where the barrier be tween the settler and the indigenous native must be rigidly maintained, the Chinese, both young and old, have failed to join forces with the Europeans.

Their habits of fraternising with the natives, miscegnation on a large scale, and loose handling of labourers, have caused the Europeans to dislike them as overseers and the natives to despise them.

The Chinese have chosen to treat the natives as their equals, and the Euro peans cannot accept any race or indi vidual if they are not prepared to keep the native labourer in his place.

The Chinaman is an indifferent planter.

He seldom develops more than 50 or 60 hectares, just enough to give him a com fortable living, yet he employs twice as many natives to work it as are necessary.

Even then, his small holding is a menace to the larger and more valuable Euro pean owned properties in the district.

Rests and diseases are uncontrolled and spread to neighbouring properties. His labourers are lazy, inefficient and insol ent, and cause disaffection amongst those on other plantations. His copra is badly prepared and poorly dried, and lowers the average price for all. An inspection of the Chinese-owned plantations in New Ireland will confirm these statements.

Regarding gold-mining: It was the blood and sweat of Australian miners which opened up New Guinea goldfields.

No Asiatic shared the hardships and pri vations of those men. Are they to reap the heritage left us by Parke, Nettleton, Pryke, Levien and others? In no country in the wond have the Chinese ever dis covered or developed a field; yet they have been swift to follow the pioneers and win the gold. Californian and Aus tralian history can teach us a lesson there.

YOUR correspondent’s reference to

trading is unjust and incorrect. To day, practically the whole of the native trading is in the hands of the Chinese.

Visit New Ireland, Rabaul, Madang, and Salamaua, and see how many European trade stores there are!

The deplorable methods of trading are a better index than the names over the doorways. Only Chinese could be familiar with the native buyers to the extent they are. Cups of tea are provided for clients, and touts meet every aeroplane frofli the goldfields. If any visitor stands in a Chinese trade-store and watches the

scene, he will realise why the natives speak with little respect of the “Kong kong.”

THE old race of Chinese is dying out.

They were a valuable group of skilled carpenters, engineers and other crafts men, and were gentlemen all. Many of their friendships were highly valued by European planters and officials, while the memories of men such as Ah Tam, Yip Mee, and others of their kind will remain evergreen.

Their sons have become a generation of the misfits so well typified by the Indian “babus,” neither wholly Western nor wholly Eastern in outlook, knowing just enough to learn that agitation oc casionally wins, and incapable of doing more than sell trade goods to natives, which is usually the limit of their ambition.

I am, etc.,

Mauri.

Rabaul, Sept. 20, 1937.