German Propaganda In

N. Guinea

r[E subversive tactics of certain Ger man missionaries in New Guinea were described by Monsieur Oscar Meyer, French anthropologist, who has carried out research there during the past two years, when addressing mem bers of the Pacific Islands Club at the Carlton Hotel in Sydney in December.

M. Meyer emphasised the danger to Australian interests of subtle propaganda on the untutored native mind, and his remarks drew commendation from Mrs.

Doris Booth, of Wau, New Guinea, who was present at the meeting. “This is just the sort of thing that I have been talking about for the last two years”, said Mrs. Booth, “and I am very glad indeed that public attention has been drawn to the danger”.

On one occasion, when M. Meyer was visiting a German missionary settlement, he was present at a lecture. The mis sionary had drawn what he submitted was a map of Europe on a large black board. To an audience of over 2,000 na tives, he pointed out an enormously en larged Germany, and a very small France on the map. “England was so small”, said M. Meyer, “that no British person would have recognised it!” The space given to Germany was incorrect, and out of all proportion.

“This type of propaganda is danger ous, because the native has no possible method of examining the true facts”, he said. “Naturally, when he sees an enor mous Germany, he accepts the lecturer’s statement at its face value, and Britain and France are belittled in his eyes.

This subversive propaganda, naturally, is most disadvantageous to the work of the Australian Government, and belittles the spirit which its officers try to infuse”, said the speaker.