“Fantastic”

How Ignorant Sydney Newspaper Described New Guinea Resident's Claim in Respect of Runaway Labour.

THE position in regard to compensation for war damage sustained by resi dents of New Guinek and Papua is dealt with in another article in this issue.

One most discouraging aspect of this matter is the gross ignorance of condi tions in Australia’s Pacific Territories displayed by Australian people and their newspapers.

For example, the “Sydney Sun”, m stating that absurd claims for compen sation were being lodged with the War Damage Commission, cited as ridiculous and fantastic a claim made by a New Guinea employer because his native labourers, scared by war conditions, ran away into the jungle. The “Sun” apparently thought that this was funny as well as silly.

It is needless to point out to Terri tories’ people that the loss of native labour under these conditions is not only a very serious matter, but most defi nitely is a loss directly caused by the invasion of New Guinea.

No industrial undertaking can be car ried on in New Guinea without native labourers. Native labourers are not picked up at the roadside. In the major ity of cases they are engaged, in the more remote districts, by experienced recruiters —risky, difficult work for which recruiters get high fees.

An employer may consider himself lucky if he can assemble a labour line

for less than £lO per head—in many cases, cost of recruiting, transport, etc., is well beyond that figure. That cost is written off over the three years’ engage ment. A man with a small line of 50 boys easily can have £5OO invested in the recruiting of them. If that labour goes bush, and cannot be recovered, the loss is serious.

Therefore, the New Guinea Adminis tration normally maintains an organisa tion, not only to safeguard the native labourers against careless or unscrupu lous employers, but also to protect the employers against runaway labourers.

Native labourers make their labour con tracts under conditions of complete free dom; but, having made them, they are compelled to carry, them out, so long as they are well, and are being properly paid and cared for. If labourers run away without good reason, the Adminis tration searches for them and brings them back.

At present, under war conditions, Administration and employers are with drawn from New Guinea. Obviously, in the majority of cases, those labour lines, brought together at heavy cost, just disintegrate, and the boys go bush.

In a few cases, after we re-occupy the Territories, it will be possible to get the native indentured labourers back again, to complete their contracts. But, for the most part, they may be regarded as fin ally gone. Planters, miners and traders will have to start again de novo —in other words, find a sum equal at least to £lO for every native labourer they wish to indenture. All the capital they previously have sunk in indentured labour is gone.

Is this not a war loss, comparable in every way with the loss of stock, or equipment?

Yet the ignorant “Sun”, probably

prompted by equally ignorant members of the War Damage Commission, describes a claim in respect of lost indentured labour as ridiculous and fan tastic! Is it any wonder that our unfor tunate folk from the Territories, realis ing that their chief hope of re-establish ment in the future lies in Australia’s sympathetic understanding of their plight, have their moments of black despair!

Enioying a well-earned two-months furlough in Sydney last month after serving with the Australian Military Forces in Papua, were Lieut. A. de Groen Sd NCO V C. Gabriel, both former members of the Papuan Administration.

Rev E A. Wale, Presbyterian Mission ary of Malekula Island, New Hebrides, who is at present on furlough in Mel bourne, Victoria, was obliged to enter Gres well Sanatorium through illness, last month. Latest reports indicate that he is making good progress.