Native Labour And

Native Rights

Difficulties of Holding the Balance In Papua

Letter to the Editor.

“T H.W.”, in his article in the March 1 1 P.1.M., on the ruining of native labour in New Guinea and Papua, certainly deals with a subject which is causing no little concern to those who are using native labour in those places.

He is a little hard, though, in blaming inexperienced miners “who come to the country without ever having seen a boy before”.

Did “L.H.W.”, himself, have any ex perience of handling native, or any other labour, before he went to Papua?

As the majority of men in N.G. and Papua are Australians, very few indeed have ever had the chance of working na tive labour before going to those places.

But the great majority conscientiously try to get the hang of things, and, given a chance, they will work the boys effi ciently and humanely. I say, “given a chance”; because, as “L.H.W.” says, there are quite a number of things which are preventing men handling their boys effi ciently and profitably.

I will admit that there are men in Papua who should not be handling native labour, but they are not necessarily “new men”. They are men of the wrong type —men who are not suited to handling even a horse and dray, let alone a native labour line; and, unfortunately, it takes very few of this type to directly and in directly cause a lot of trouble with boys.

Another thing, which I consider is far more serious, is the milk-sop attitude adopted by some Government officials toward the natives. These misguided gentlemen consider they are there solely for the benefit of the natives; and they, together with equally misguided mission aries (who would be doing greater ser vice by working among people of their own race), are spoiling boys for those people who are in the country for their own and the country’s betterment. And aren’t we all?

The trouble with these Government of ficials is that they consider all laws, re gulations, etc., are made to be carried out to the letter, and not just to be used where necessary. The result is that, if a man as much as raises his voice to

a boy, the boy takes time off from his work, goes to the “Government”, and lays a charge to which the white man must reply.

Boys are continually leaving their work and laying complaints against overseers, on trivial matters, because they consider they have the “Government” on their side. As long as they think this way, thev will continue to be insolent and in dolent; to go to the Government with trivial charges against white men; and to resent any reprimanding they get. Jus tice is one thing—over-zealous official dom, plus red tape, is entirely another.

I am, etc.,

Overseer.

Samarai, Papua, 9/5/1938.