The Solomons
pp. 11-12 · Read in the full issue
Some Reasons Why Australian Rule is Wonted
VISITORS to the Solomon Islands have been surprised to find among non official residents there a very strong wish that the Solomons shall be brought under Australian administration; and have been more surprised to learn that the reason is that the Solomons resid ents are envious of the better conditions enjoyed by residents in the Mandated Territory of New Guinea, just to the north of them.
“We admit that there has been much criticism of the New Guinea Adminis tration”, say the Solomon Islands resid ents, “but, for all that, the N.G. Admin istration is so much better than ours that we would prefer it”.
Which leads to the reflection that the Solomon Islands Administration must be lacking in certain respects. Critics of the 8.5.1. Administration certainly have something to say. In general terms, they describe the Government simply as a loose organisation of English-born offi cials, who have no particular interest in the development of the territory and whose main concern is to carry out the day’s routine conscientiously, and get away to a better climate at the earliest possible moment.
The Coconut Pest.
One critic, for example, has pointed to the coconut pest, which has ravaged the Solomons—a mysterious thing called “nut-fall”, which destroys young nuts.
A few years ago, a sum of £lO,OOO was provided from various sources for a sci entific investigation of this thing; and the scientists finally tracked the trouble down to a small insect. Having found the cause of the trouble, the next logical step was to discover a parasite which would control and perhaps destroy the pest, in the way that has been done in Fiji, Hawaii, Java, etc., with other insect pests.
But the remaining entomologist left the Solomons nearly a year ago and, al though there is still a substantial sum re maining in the special fund, nothing has been done to deal with the pest that has been identified. The Solomon Islands planters say: “The officials are just too tired!”
The Public Service.
There is criticism, too, because of cer tain action taken by the Resident Com missioner last year. He told the Advis ory Council that a sum of £2,700 had been put aside for reorganisation of the Pub lic Service—but no other information was given. It is believed that the money ac tually is being earmarked to provide the Public Service with some privileges which it now has not got—probably the payment of official salaries in sterling instead of Australian currency, which rules in the Group—but no details whatever have been given out.
The Administration, it is reported, is trying to obtain £3OO from an American institution wherewith to build a school in Tulagi for the training of natives as Gov ernment clerks, etc. The establishment of such a school, of course, will mean an expenditure running into some hundreds of pounds. The critics ask why such a procedure is necessary at all. They point out that a number of first-class Missions are operating in the Group and that the mission schools are quite capable of turn ing out, if necessary, any natives trained
in the manner proposed.
Another subject of criticism is the legal authority given to young officials who are in charge of districts. These young men preside at the lower Court sittings. Usu ally the charges dealt with are against natives; but now and again a European is involved, and these officials, who either have had no legal training or only a few hours’ tuition, must give important deci sions. There is no machinery provided for an appeal against their decisions.
Recent arrivals from the Solomons tell with malicious glee of the consternation caused there not long ago by a Miss Hackett, an Australian solicitor, who spent some time in Tulagi. She took over the defence of natives in a few cases and, with her alert mind and legal knowledge, she made some prominent officers of the Administration look ratjher ridiculous Miss Hackett returned to Australia re cently, but it is believed that she is going back to settle on a plantation somewhere near Tulagi. The critics of the Admin istration hope so, because they feel that a person with sufficient legal knowledge to stand up to the official adjudicators in the Group would be of considerable value.
Britain or Australia?
The whole situation, of course, resolves itself into this: That the Solomons are comparatively a very little Territory; that the British Colonial Office is obliged to administer the Territory as economically as possible; and that, so far as Britain is concerned, there is no reason why money should be spent there in encour aging settlement and development. The officials, who have been the subject of criticism, probably are as good officials as may be found anywhere in the Ser vice—and the British Colonial Service is notable throughout the world for its effi ciency and the fine character of its per sonnel. They are simply carrying out their job in the Solomons as they would carry it out in any other little isolated country.
The Group, however, is of great and growing importance to Australia in a strategic sense, and as its economic struc ture and activities already are 90 per cent. Australian, it seems to be a logical thing that the administration should be taken over by the Commonwealth Gov ernment.