Acute Labour Problem

Faces Papua

Rubber Growers' Plea for Government Assistance.

Letter to the Editor.

T HAVE carefully read the article under A the head, “Papuan Rubber Growers May Lose Bounty” in your November issue. It is a pity that such untrue and destructive comments should be published without re ference to the growers and by one who apparently has so little knowledge of the subject.

Both Mr. Fletcher (the Commissioner dealing with Papuan rubber costs) and Mr. Wolfenburger (the Federal Account ant attached to the Commission) express ed thanks to all growers they met for the assistance given and for the freedom of access to their books, cost sheets, etc.

I personally noted the dissection and in vestigation of books and cost sheets at the offices of the various rubber companies, and these would represent about four fifths of the rubber areas of Papua. The investigation was most thorough and carefully carried out and complete freedom was given to the examiners.

In regard to overhead charges, such as depreciation, amortization, and head office expenses, the Planters’ Association of Papua adopted the ruling of the Rubber Growers’ Association of London, which is the standard of rubber costing throughout the world.

We all have to admit that Mr. Fletcher had a very difficult subject to deal with, for the reason that figures covered a long period of depression:— 1. During the depression no grower could afford to cultivate or keep his estate

clean. When rubber is at a profitable price growers in Papua allow from Id. to lid. per lb. on rubber produced each year to cover the costs of cultivation, weeding, pests and diseases. 2. The depression brought down the price of all native ration lines and estate stores, resulting in a lower rubber cost. 3. The cost of recruiting dropped by 500% because recruiters had to meet the planter and they forfeited their fees, so long as the native was returned to them to pay off. Further, the low cost of Japan ese goods helped recruiting. 4. I do not know of one plantation without a serious debit on profit and loss account or a mortgage to work off.

Since Mr. Fletcher’s visit, the price of rubber has dropped 35% and ration lines and other estate stores have in some in stances advanced that amount. You will therefore gather that it was no light mat ter for Mr. Fletcher to decide what would be a fair figure to assess, and at what price the Papuan rubber-grower would produce at a loss.

The idea of making a comparison with the Papuan Government plantation at the Kemp Welch River is of course absolutely absurd. Everything supplied to the estate is duty free, and free assistance is given in many directions by other departments of the Government, and the savings in this direction are many. In the opinion of many here, it is a disgrace that Kemp Welch plantation cannot get a lower cost than estates in Malay and Java, as they

have so many factors in their favour.

Your correspondent suggests growers’ costs are high owing to extravagance, During the depression, every grower either had his salary reduced 25% to 33% and in many instances the employees volunteered to reduce to whatever figure their employers could afford. Although the Papuan revenue was reduced to a very low figure in that period, not one Government official had his salary reduced. Kemp Welch, then producing at a loss, continued to pay its manager his usual salary. ■m m- a Tvrrr . . .

A/TANY are inclined to make a companson of rubber costs in and Java to the detriment of Papua; it is entirely an unfair comparison. I have recently returned from a motor tour through Malay States and Java; whilst there, I was the guest of the general manager of a concern operating 87,000 acres of rubber, I found that wages were lower and labour had to find its own food. In Papua, the planter has to supply rations, tobacco and sugar on a liberal scale. Estate requirements and stores can be bought at a lower

rate than in Sydney. Central hospitals, in charge of European doctors, are establish ed in every group of plantations and these are subsidised by the Governments.

Estates of 2,000 or 3,000 acres are managed and controlled by one European. The natives are docile, industrious and very easy to handle and work, and their skill in tapping rubber is wonderful, and it is rare to see a wounded tree. Often you will find three generations of a family working on the same estate.

In Papua, it requires a manager and from two to three assistants to run a 1,000-acre estate, with an overhead of from 4d. to 6d. for every unit of native labour employed.

You ask, why? In Papua, it is rare these days to get a tapping native to sign on for longer than 18 months. If your recruiter sends you 50 boys for tapping, you are lucky if you find 25% of them have tapped before. The balance of 75% have perhaps never worked before, and they have to be taught the very delicate operation of tap ping and then, perhaps, only a small per centage can be made into skilled tappers.

Who is there to teach them? We have no Chinese or Tamil boss-boys to give them tuition, and our European assistants have to break in these natives. They are ex tremely careless in their work and, unless constant supervision is carried out by the European staff, trees are damaged and production lost. Pew of them show any pride in their work.

When they are sick—and about 5% of labour are always sick—we have no doctor or medical assistants, so the work and treatment again falls on the European assistant. A really sick native has to be carried anything up to 100 miles to reach the only two hospitals (at Port Moresby or Samarai) where there' is a European Doctor.

We have no roads of any value, except around Port Moresby, so that, nearby estates have to transport by mule. Again the European assistant has to supervise, otherwise his team would soon be out of action with sore backs.

In Malay States and Java, they have excellent boss natives, who in many cases are intelligent enough to act as section managers. Estate costing and all clerical work is carried out by natives. Sick natives are immediately sent to central hospitals for treatment. Estate stores and rubber travel to Ports or Railway stations at 30 to 40 miles per hour, over excellent roads.

Twenty two years ago, the planters of Papua asked the Papuan Government to be allowed to import one Chinaman, for every 50 indentured Papuans employed.

Planters had the idea that an intermedi ary between the European and Papuan native would be the easiest method of overcoming many of their difficulties, and would quickly train up groups of Papuans.

The Chinese were to be skilled in the fol lowing, and were to be indentured for only three years:—Planting Boss boys, Car penters and Boat builders, Fitters, Laun dry, Cooks, Gardeners.

This request was emphatically turned down by the Papuan Government, with the result that there has always been a serious shortage in these departments; and now we find the oil companies, who are operating in a large way in Papua have to import Malays to fill these posi tions.

Some of the missions opened technical schools, but the Government subsidy was so small that little progress was made, except by the Kwato Mission under the capable management of the Abel family.

This mission have fine technical schools, under European instructors, and they teach and train carpenters, boatbuilders, fitters, printers, etc., and turn out good skilled artisans. The Government have now cancelled their subsidy and it is possible Kwato Mission will have to cur tail their operations.

TT is the duty of the Papuan Government 1 to teach the natives trades. If they neglect their obligations, surely revenue should provide the funds for others to carry on the good work. For we hear so much of the Government’s idealistic cry, “Papua for the Papuans.”

With a large surplus in 1936, what did they do? Did they increase the number of qualified medical officers, or the subsidy to the missions for technical schools? No, they took £lO,OOO for their pension fund, and drew up fancy plans for houses for themselves.

Papua has about 400,000 natives and about 1,200 whites. The Chief Medical Officer in Port Moresby is purely admini strative, leaving only two doctors, who rarely leave Port Moresby and Samarai.

I do not wish to appear too critical, but these are the days of youth, and I would

like to see the Commonwealth Govern ment carry out the same plan as the British Government have done in regard to the Army. Weed out all the old men and give youth a chance. Our Executive Council are all over the retiring age. No doubt, in an advisory capacity, they would be very useful, but unfortunately each of them controls a Government Department.

The next in seniority have become so tired of waiting that, immediately their pensions are due, they take them and leave the Territory, so that actually the service “jumps” one generation of officers.

'T'HE leading article in your issue of November 25 clearly shows how critical the situation in the East is becoming, and Singapore and the Dutch East Indies may be blockaded at any time.

Australia is spending millions in her defence, and a big factor will be mobile transport on land for military purposes, and for rapid transport of grain and other products to her cities, as an enemy would first blow up the railways. In such an event, where will Australia’s supply of rubber come from to supply tyres and a thousand and one other items? Papua at present supplies approximately 1,000 tons of the 13,000 to 15.000 tons consumed by Australia. She could supply all require ments, but the growers cannot do it unless they are given some protection from such countries as Java and Malay, where they enjoy such ideal conditions.

Papua has only two industries, coconuts and rubber. No coconuts have been plant ed for many years, and the old areas, owing to want of cultivation, due to the very low prices ruling for years, are de teriorating at a rapid rate.

Nobody will plant: the future is too un certain. Large trusts control the Copra market and the grower gets the husk.

Rubber is more or less the same, except

that some planters are opening up new country and, in nearly every instance, the plantings are to replace areas that are too old to tap.

The outlook for Papua is not at all bright, but there is one ray of sunshine and that is the appointment of the Hon.

W. M. Hughes as Minister for Territories.

When the news was flashed over the Wire less a feeling of hope spread throughout these Islands.

Mr. Hughes is a statesman, and a force ful one, and he will quickly see that unless Papua and New "Guinea are forced into a progressive path of development under young and strong leaders, the Common wealth will soon lose those Territories.

Which will win, “greed of land” or “land hunger?”

I am, etc.,

G. A. Loudon.

Pt. Moresby, 27/12/1937.