Guinea
p. 74 · Read in the full issue
Australia In N.
Character of The Record
MR. JENNINGS, in the Australian House of Representatives on October 7, directed attention to a statement made by the Australian journalist and naturalist, Mr. A. H. Chisholm, on his return to London from a visit to Ger many, to the effect that German scien tists were showing a marked interest in the resources of New Guinea, and were complaining that Australia had failed in its duty to exploit these resources ade quately, and left this task to Americans.
The Minister for External Affairs, Mr.
Hughes, denied that the Government had
been laggard in its efforts to develop the resources of New Guinea.
Later, Mr. Hughes pointed out that Australia had every reason to be proud of development in New Guinea. In 1913, the white population of the Territory was only 968. Now it was 4,332. In the same period natives under European control had increased from 230,000 to 542,000. The value of exports had grown from £402,000 to £3,389,000, and imports had increased from £425,000 to £1,311,000. The Com monwealth, in the years that it had held the mandate, had spent about £350,000 on development works in New Guinea.
Editorial Note: And the “Pacific Islands Monthly” repeats its assertion, made on dozens of occasions, that Australia has nothing in New Guinea to be proud of.
Here is a great, rich, undeveloped coun try; endless opportunities for initiative and enterprise; many hundreds of re sourceful young Australians, official and non-official, eager to get on with the work of development; and, squatting on top of it all, an Administration that is paralysed in New Guinea, and controlled in Canberra, by a gang of blathering and visionless politicians and ex-politicians, who ought not to be allowed out without petticoats. Nearly all the development that has occurred in New Guinea since 1918 has been carried out by the gold miners, and the gold companies, and a couple of enterprising trading firms; and what they have achieved has been achieved mostly in spite of the Govern ment. and not because of encouragement received. Where are the new lands opened up to European settlement? What new lines of agriculture have been intro duced? How many new plantations have been started, to take the place of the German-planted areas, now petering out 9 What new industries have been estab lished, outside the Morobe goldfields 9 What public works have been carried out, outside of Morobe? What has been done worthy of mention, in introducing health and education services to the natives?