Meeting

Comment on Territories Meeting Urgent Jobs for the Association

Contributed By “Observer”

IWAS an interested onlooker at the meeting of Territories people on the 14th. The Association that they formed is long overdue—it should do some good work.

I talked to a dozen people at the meeting—men and women. More than half of them were labouring under a sense of grievance—Government officials appear to have treated them brusquely, and shown indifference to their personal troubles, and given them the impression that officialdom generally is indifferent towards them. Well, the Association should be able to make officialdom rea lise that these are people with real grievances and a real claim for con sideration.

But how is the Association going to do it? I cannot see how. The chairman said that the Association must have teeth in it, so that it can bite if necessary.

But no one asked him how it is going to bite.

If Australian people are not getting a square deal, they appeal to Ministers.

If Ministers are indifferent, the people can have their grievance brought up in Parliament; and then the Ministers usually hop to it. Parliament is their boss. If Parliament also is indifferent, the peoole can deal with the matter at the ballot-box.

But Territories people have no ballot box, and therefore no channel into Par liament. If Federal Ministers and Com monwealth officials will not help us, what are we going to do? We have no votes, so members of Parliament do not care two hoots about us? I cannot find an answer. (There are two ways in which Terri tories people may retaliate against Ministerial injustice or indifference. One lies through the newspapers, most of which are more than ready to expose Ministerial incompetence or indifference; and the other is the fact that 90 per cent, of Territories people are Aus tralians; and, while they may not have a vote themselves, they all have many relations and friends who have votes, and who will make common cause with them. —Ed. “PIM”) TERRITORIES people are born fighters —I suppose it is the pioneering spirit—and at one period I was afraid that there were going to be seri ous disagreements on matters of pro cedure. It is strange that so many of our public movements are wrecked by this tendency to suspect and to squabble. The people who are sitting back always are ready to suspect that the people who are pushing forward are merely self-seekers. I suppose we have had too many self-seekers in the past, using our democratic institutions for their own selfish ends.

However, this Association movement seems spontaneous and honest, and I think all of us were glad that the con venors hurried on in getting it into shape and getting on with the job. There is plenty to do, and it would have been a pity to waste days and weeks in argu ing about procedure.

Problem Of Damage By Looting

IT was easy to see that the matter of most concern to everyone was the question of compensation for looting I should say that 99 per cent, of evacuees

will be heavy losers through looting— one hears most distressing tales of what has happened to private property since the owners left.

At first, accepting official assurances at their face value, everyone was quite sure that all damage to property after the evacuation—looting, or fire, or de preciation through lack of care, or any thing else —would be covered by the compensation scheme. But now the thing has a different appearance. Official dom is trying to whittle down the de finition so that it may be very difficult to get looting in under the compensation plan.

If looting is excluded from compen sation, the loss which the Territories people will be asked to bear will be absolutely crushing—and that applies to everyone, from the small planter who has lost his furniture and effects, to the merchant whose stocks have disappeared.

Members expect the Association to fight hard in this matter of looting, and not to retreat an inch. Australian pub lic opinion will support us —I am positive of that. Our claim is morally sound.

There can be no distinction made be tween loss caused by a bomb, and loss caused through property being left un guarded, following compulsory evacua tion.

It is my belief that officialdom is not so much trying to dodge responsibility for looting, as to prevent all sorts of excessive and unreasonable claims being made under the head of looting.

There are “shrewd-heads” in all com munities, and we have plenty of them in the Territories, who will fake up all sorts of claims if they think they have a chance of getting away with it. We know most of these people—the claims assessors may not. That is why the Territories should be well represented by trust worthy men on any panels of assessors that may be appointed. Mr. James sug gested one representative on each panel.

Our representation should be stronger than that —local conditions, which include the reputation of the claimant and the reasonableness of his claim, are going to be an important factor in these settle ments.

Position Of Public Servants

IT was disappointing to see that public servants took no part in the meeting, and that their places on the Exe cutive are still vacant. But we can understand the position, and sympathise with our erstwhile masters.

All the younger public servants have gone into the Army, and are now voice less and virtually without civil rights.

All the older public servants are here in Australia, their jobs gone, their homes wrecked and their future completely un certain. Their future, in fact, lies in the hands of Canberra officials and bureau crats generally—and we know all too well that it is God help the Territories official who gives those self-important gentlemen any displeasure or offence.

I saw two men of the Public Services —“Ted” Taylor, of New Guinea, and R.

A. Woodward, of Papua—at the back of the hall, for a while, but they did not remain. I understand that both of these officials are now without employment.

What a reflection upon the Canberra mind—or whoever is responsible for these things—that a man like Taylor (recently head of the District Services in New Guinea, an official with a splendid re cord, knows New Guinea and its natives like the palm of his hand, still young and fit) and a man like Woodward (lately Resident Magistrate at Samarai, an unimpeachable record, knows every inch and corner of Papua, also young and fit) should be idle in Sydney, while the Territories are under travail. And I

understand that there are other Terri tories officials in the same position.

The Executive

THE Executive could have been stronger. People around me wanted to know why such forceful personalities as Mrs. Flo Stewart, Harold Taylour and Bretag, of Morobe, Loudon, of Papua, Pennefather, of Rabaul, were not brought in; and, even if he could not attend meet ings, C. W. Kirke should have been per manently tied up to the organisation.

Still, I suppose the main thing is to have a strong president and secretary— and there are no complaints on that score. Laws can fight or be tactful, as required; and all who know Adelskold agree that he probably is as good an organising secretary as can be found for a difficult job like this. Good luck to them, anyway.