A Typical Example

Australian Cruelty

To Planters

WHY some men, experienced in plan tation production in Papua, are given positions in the Australian New Guinea Administrative Unit, while others, equally good citizens and equally experienced, are literally driven out, and forced to sustain themselves on a dole, is one of the minor mysteries of the war in the Pacific. It is the subject of many letters received in the “PIM” office. Here are extracts from one of them:— “It was a very shrewd move to sink the name of Papua and call our country ‘New Guinea’ —this gave a good standing to the New Guinea outfit, who are deter mined to run ANGAU.” (EDITORIAL NOTE: There is no doubt that the present regime is trying to dis courage the use of the word “Papua”— why, no one knows. If the military gentlemen who are now dictators of the Territories had known anything of the history and conditions of the Territories they would not have acted so hastily.

“Australian Pacific Territories Adminis trative Unit” —APTAU—would have been just as euphonious as the name chosen; and it would have meant a lot more.) “I cannot understand why men like me are not allowed to pull our weight in the war effort, where our experience would be of most use—i.e., in the handling of native labour; the running of coastal vessels; and furnishing information about local sea-routes, reefs, anchorages, etc., which is not shown on the charts.

Incidentally, knowing the native language as we do, we could get information not available to strangers who, as far as the natives are concerned, speak an unknown tongue.

"Many of the vessels run by ANGAU have soldiers in charge. Of course, we know soldiers know more about our vessels (impressed by the aforesaid ANGAU) than we, who have been navi gating them for more than a quarter of a century. According to the wise gentry who control ANGAU, if a man is a good soldier he must also make a good sailor, so why use seamen when soldiers are more easily obtained.

“I am afraid our outlook is hopeless.

Those Papuans now in ANGAU are con cerned only with themselves; the military are in charge, and they cannot be ap pealed to; the average Australian poli tician knows nothing and cares less about Papua; we have spent our years and our cash. A hole to creep into, where we can curse the merciless heavens, and die, is about all we can hope for, now.

“I gave Papua over 30 years of my life, the best half of it. I took £15,000 into the country with me; for the last 14 years I put all the profit I made back into the country (at least £l,OOO p.a.).

Had I been an enemy alien when I was compulsorily evacuated from my home I would have been cared for by the Com monwealth Government; fed and clothed, and lodged free of cost, until the ter mination of the war. Being only British rubbish, I shall shortly have to join a road gang, or starve. So much for Aus tralia’s ‘grand old pioneers.’ ”

The death of Mr. Clifton Garfield Rutledge, metallurgist and mining en gineer, occurred in Brisbane in January.

He was associated with mining in New Guinea and New Caledonia and, since the war, had been connected with the organi sation of mining in Queensland. He was formerly general manager and resident managing director in Papua of Cuthbert’s Misima Goldmine, Limited.