Cane For Delinquent

Labourers

Native Control In New Guinea

A MAN who knew New Guinea and handled native labour before the Australian occupation, and who was acquainted with the Germans’ methods of controlling natives —namely, Mr. Gor don Thomas, editor of the “Rabaul Times” —gave interesting evidence before the Native Labour Commission in Rabaul in January.

Discussing the growing problem of un disciplined and cheeky natives, Mr.

Thomas expressed the opinion that cor poral punishment should be re-introduced in the Territory in the form of canings.

Indentured natives found guilty of minor offences should be punished by canings,

in place of the present system of imprisonment, thus obviating loss of service to the employer. Canmgs would be a greater deterrent and would be a saving of government rations in prisons.

He pointed out that the system was found to be quite satisfactory during the German regime, when permits were even given to reliable European planters to administer canings, under rigid government control. The system maintained discipline amongst the labour, and records showed that recourse to caning was infrequent, owing to the fact that the

natives knew that the employer had power to inflict such punishment .

Mr - Thomas stated that he only advo cated a system of corporal punishment s j? 1 Ijar 1 j ar ,T liat; was me ted out to school all over the world. He stated JT at the present system of taking discip hnary action through the courts was a long and tedious procedure, and owing to this, many breaches of the Ordiflance and flagrant disregard of discipline went unpunished, in order to avoid personal inconvenience.