An Attempt to Explain the Inexplicable

Alice In Angauland

An Attempt to Explain the Inexplicable BY "W” - WITH APOLOGIES TO THE MEMORY OF LEWIS CARROLL

ALICE’S Magic Plane landed at Moresby, and she was met by the Truthful Spirit, a form shadowy and tenuous, made of something like ectoplasm.

Alice was a bit scared at first, but was reassured when she saw the Spirit’s tools of trade —namely, a little hatchet and a half-cut-down cherry-tree.

“Winnie Churchill told me to come out here and see what you are doing about the Nugins,” she said, pleasantly. “He wants to know if you are applying the Four Freedoms, and British justice, to them. He was quite angry at my last report!”

“Gracious, child! Don’t blame me for what’s happened! I’m the real Truth; the proper one to take the blame is the Kangaroo!” replied the Spirit, as he chipped a bit off the cherry-tree with his little hatchet.

“Well, are the poor Nugins back yet in their homes here?” queried Alice, anxiously.

“A few planters have been allowed back, and so have the missionaries, including ladies,” replied the Spirit. “We have also had many visitors here from Australia —politicians and officials, and even some lady visitors. All had a most pleasant trip. Everything was arranged nicely for them, and they had none of the difficulties that the ordinary Nugins had when they lived here!” The Spirit gave a reminiscent shake of his head.

“They were taken by plane over the mountains, and thus were able to see the country over which the old Nugins had to travel per boot in the old days, when they hadn’t an Army, nor an Army’s transport and commissariat, behind them.

But. of course, no one ever heard of that, so it didn’t matter much! They saw the fever-swamps through which the Nugins had to trek, with the nearest doctor a fortnight or three weeks away!”

“ A NYBODY knows that, if they think a little!” citied Alice, impatiently.

“I want to mow if the Nugins are back in their homes yet?” .

“Well, you the Spirit, “some few selected ones are; but we haven’t yet allowed, say, the wives of planters to return. Frankly, I don’t know why: you see, I’m Truth, and I am emphatically not a politician. They are the only people who know why. But many people are beginning to form theories!”

“But I don’t understand!” said Alice.

“If lady missionaries have returned, why not the wives of planters? And why not the other men and women of the coun

try? What are these theories you speak of?”

“Why, my child, some Nugins and others think that ANGAU is on too good a thing to let go its hold very easily,” said the Truthful One. “For example, ANGAU has the monopoly of trading with the natives; and many people believe that the natives are being exploited by being charged much more for their trade goods than they would be by private enterprise.”

“I must make some notes for Winnie Churchill!” cried Alice, as she brought out a huge pocket-book and a pencil. “Go on, please!”

“Then, again, you see, ANGAU, by keeping the Nugins out, is able to use their properties for trading, or for the use of the soldiers, without paying for them. Someone suspended all leases (I don’t know if that was legal or not) and therefore ANGAU holds that no rent is payable to anybody for its use of their property!”

“But that’s robbery!” cried Alice, aghast. “Do you mean to tell me that this horrible ANGAU. or whatever you call it, stops people from coming back to their homes, and seizes their property without any recompense?” child!” said Truth, sadly. “But X there’s worse than that! Some men owned small plantations, which thev had planted to provide a competency for themselves in later life. ANGAU has passed some of them over to the care of larger nlantations, and all expenses have to be paid by the owner, even though he could do the work more cheaply himself.

If the expenses are greater ,than the income, for any reason , a lien is held on the property by ANGAU, and if this is

not satisfied, the owner loses his property!”

Alice looked startled. “If ever Winnie Churchill hears about this ” she began, but the Spirit interrupted her.

“I have heard of a case where a man was planting up some small acreage with rubber or somesuch. He was evacuated with all the rest; and, while in Sydney, he was notified by ANGAU that it was estimated that it would cost £5OO per annum to upkeep the place, mainly weeding, etc., and they suggested he

should pay them monthly ir> advance, £4O a month, for this work. He was earning only a few pounds a week down there in Sydney.

“Under the terms on which some plant ers were allowed to return, such a man could easily lose his plantation, if he

didn’t pay up. They’d simply allow the debt to accumulate, until the place was swamped in debt, and then grab the lot!”

Alice started to weep. “The whole thing is wicked!” she sobbed. “A man’s lifework gone in a flash like that! And you say the politicians are to blame for such an awful state of things?”

MANY Nugins believe that the politi cians and the ANGAU section-of the Army are working in together in this matter,” said the Spirit, gravely.

“You see, the Minister for the Army spoke over the wireless and said that Civil Administration would soon be restored in a large part of this land, and that ANGAU would be removed else where!”

Alice brightened up, on hearing this.

But the Spirit continued: “However, when the Minister for this land returned to Kangaroo-land after a visit here, that was all wiped out, and everything seems to have been postponed indefinitely!

“There have been dark whispers that a new Administration will be set up, with someone from Canberra as Administrator, who will be simply a rub ber stamp for the Canberra Experi mentalists!”

Alice opened her eyes wide. “What do you mean by Experimentalists?”

The Spirit felt the edge of his little hatchet, as he replied, solemnly: “There is to be a Referendum over extra powers in Kangaroo-land; and many people think that if these powers are granted, then the politicians will use Angauland simply as a huge experiment in Social ism. You see. by squashing all the little men, only the big companies remain here;

then the politicians use that as an argu ment for the abolition of what they would then call monopolies, and would intro duce legislation resulting in the socialisa tion of Angauland, as the first step towards its introduction into Kangaroo land! ”

“THEN you think that the .politicians M. never had any intention of allowing the Nugins back until this Referen after that? PoSSibly not f ° r a long time “It certainly looks like it, to many people, said the Spirit. “There cannot be any military reason for stopping the ueoplefrom returning, seeing that women have been allowed to go back. It can for po i tical rea sons. To bolster up their case, the politicians have, thrown smo £ e “ scree n over the position a lo V of untrue twaddle about indentured native labour. But most Nugms believe this is only camouflage l ”

T was so incensed, that she would not stay to hear any more sh7mn r t^ edoms ' , and Brltish justice!” she muttered savagely, as she entered her Ma,gic Plane. “We’ll see how all this fits Winnie Churchill’s speeches, when flew t Sfl Eng,and! " And she ind *-