System

"Exploited" Natives

Old Resident is Emphatic on Indentured Labour System

By Leslie F. Gill

(who was a planter in BSI, until his plantations were destroyed in the Battle of Munda)

mo WARDS the end of his long reign, I that great native administrator, Sir Hubert Murray, of Papua, remarked that the time was probably coming when it would be necessary to protect the white man from the native —whilst giving jus tlCOn° another occasion, regarding the indentured labour system he gave as his considered opinion that it was the only just and workable system in the present stage of native development.

No one has ever accused Governor Mur ray of being other than a great friend of the native. He was a wise and just ruler of men—white and brown.

For the life of me I cannot understand what all the fuss is about concerning indentured native labour Rhetorical clap-trap by bishops and politicians—with axes to grind and eaually ignorant—leave me cold, because I know missionaries who share Sir Hubert Murray’s views on indentured labour.

Methodist Mission chief, Rev. John W.

Burton, has much to say in condemna tion of the indentured labour system and has also denied that his mission engages in trading. Before he assails those out side his church, he should be certain that his own brethren agree with his policies.

Some of them don’t— particularly those of the New Zealand Methodist Missionary Society—which emnloys indentured native labour, and carries on as licensed traders in the British Solomon's.

I would point out that native rights and development have for many years had priority in the policies of British Pacific Administrations; and the inden tured labour system is not “a legacy from the old German Government.” inasmuch as the svstem was in vogue in Panua and the British Solomons lopg before the Ger mans lost New Guinea in World War I I ‘can see little between the Island indentured labour system and that whereby men are recruited for the Roval and Australian Navies—except that the latter sign on for 12-year and five-year terms respectively, whereas the natives sign on for two.

Economic compulsion? Who is under the greater economic compulsion? The poor Jack Tar, who has to work to live, or the native who lives rent-free on his own land —a land of freedom and plenty?

Exploitation? I would ask the Reverend Bishops, rat-bag politicians, and theory crazed anthropologists to please inform me how it is possible to exploit a native subject of King George? If these gentry try to do so, please let them be explicit; let them abstain from hazy emotionalism and get, down to cases. The only way it is possible to exploit a people—white, brown or brindle—is under conditions where — (a) The people are landless, and/or (b) Compelled to work —by Authority, or bv economic stress. (c) There is no real competition—free and unrestricted.

The above conditions apply, wholly or in part, in so-called civilised countries — but apply not at all in New Guinea or the Solomons.

IN the Island Groups of my knowledge the native is confirmed in the rights to his own lands by British law. It is safe to say that not more than 8 per cent, of the land is owned or leased by

non-natives. The natives own the rest#millions of acres of rich, virgin, timber clad lands, with the abundant food sup ply that is obtainable for the tilling of their gardens—also the fish from the rivers and the varied sea-foods to be got from the seas of their coasts. (Think of this, and weep, O my brothers —ye poor landless wage-plugs or slum-dwellers of “free” Sydney, Melbourne, London, and New York!) The hoary old fiction of the native vil

lages being denuded of their youth to feed the labour demands of the planters —thus leaving old men, women, and chil dren to suffer undue hardship—is given another airing by the mission chiefs. Let them name those villages. The Govern ment would clamp down on. recruiting before such horrific conditions even tuated. The District Officers would soon see to that.

SEVEN per cent, of the total population is considered the safe maximum of recruits to be obtained from a primi tive community—if essential native food supply, services, and population increases are to be maintained. The pre-war inden tured labour figures of the Solomons averaged around 3,000-3,500 out of a population of 90,000 to 100,000. New Guinea and Papua would be on a par with this.

In a long Islands life in Papua, the

Gilberts and the Solomons, I have never seen the starving villagers bemoaned and wept over by the home-dwelling bishops, priests and deacons.

The village youths follow the urge of youth everywhere—adventure; to see the world; to escape from the boredom of village,life. They return, mentally alert and physically fit, filled with new ideas and stories of the wonders they have seen —thus stirring and quickening the slug gish stream of village life. They return rich with goods earned by their labours, to astonish their fellows and attract the maidens and marry them —and to fill their younger brethren with the desire to go and see and do likewise. That is the true picture of how recruiting affects a native village.

They may bring their wives to the plantations if they wish. If they do so, they are provided with a separate house

for their family by the planter—and also with a patch of ground for the family garden in most cases. Usually, however, the married men do not come, as the wives do not wish to leave the home vil lages—so mostly only the single men come.

EARLY in his career, the Rev. J. W.

Burton spent a few years in Fiji— £ and has never got over it. He saw —or imagined he saw—some shocking conditions amongst the indentured Indians there, twenty-odd years ago. He has been speaking as an authority on the Islands, and the indentured labour sys tem, ever since. What do they know of the Pacific, who only Fiji know?

The half-starved helot of the Indian dust-bowl, suffering from economic com pulsion, is not to be confounded with the well-fed, free and independent native of the Pacific Islands.

What went on—or did not go on—in the Indian coolie lines, in Fiji, in Mr.

Burton’s time does not—and never did— go on in the plantations of the Western Pacific under British rule. The Govern ments and the planters would not stand for that kind of thing—nor would the natives, because they would enthusiastic ally stay at home. Catch them going places to be down-trodden and exploited!

And no British Government has ever forced them—none will force them.

I trust Mr. Burton will not quote Mr.

Andrews the Indian “authority” be cause he knows less of the Pacific Islander and his conditions than Mr. Burton.

Self-centred, and immured in a very restricted and narrow orbit, the average missionary knows little of life on the plantations. Plantation life and mission station life are two worlds living apart Few men have knowledge of both. But that doesn’t stop some missionaries from climbing on the band-waggon, and—air ing a knowledge they don’t possess—tear ing the planter to pieces, and shouting about a New Order for “the poor, ex ploited. down-trodden natives.”

I notice these gentlemen usually reserve their opinions until they are at .a safe distance—in Sydney, say, in front of an ignorant audience. They say nothing here in the Islands, where they would have to prove their words to a knowledgeable audience.

ABOUT that “New Order,” so glibly spoken of—education, medical care, technical training, etc., for the native. By all means let the natives have them all. They deserve them, and the planters want to see them get them.

BuE; so far as I can see, there is not a new idea in the whole boiling of them —for, taken by and large, the natives are already getting them and have been get ting them for years—limited only by fin ance and the natives’ capacity to absorb and digest them., Keep on giving them— but for Heaven’s sake don’t call it a “New” Order. New! Shades of Mur ray and company and the mission edu cators !

As for the small wages the planters allegedly pay the natives—what have you* Show me the rich planter or trader in the Islands. Aren’t most of them mort gaged, or in debt to the eyes, to the big firms?

The issue is clear and simple for the planter. Give him a better yield in price on his copra, and he will gladly pay higher wages. Increase the wages with out an increase in copra prices, and he will simply fold up. That’s all. How much can you get out of an empty barrel? * J rE interests of the natives as copra producers and those of the planter sutlers are identical—iconoclastic as this may seem to the Burtons and Wards.

Reference to published, figures prove that the only concerns that do well in the Islands—in good times and in bad—in war and neace—are the Big Firms. They flourish like the green bay tree, while the small planters go down to ruin and despair.

Overseas combines like Unilever are attacked while the local combines are ignored. Yet. if the natives and the small planters could only get a fair proportion of what Unilever offers—and not what they have to take from the local com bines—they would be rich indeed.

But you never hear the brave, ignorant, publicity-hunting type of missionary attacking the local combines. Oh, no!— rather do they wprk in, and curry favour, with them, and reserve their attacks and diastribes for the small “exploiting, gin sodden trader and rapacious planters.” who have nothing to do with fixing local

prices, and would gladly pay more for copra, and give more wages, and sell more cheaply, if they could—that being good busmess.

In a word, it’s safer to attack the small fellow—he can’t hit back. Also, it is good propaganda to paint him as the big bad wolf to the natives. It shows them what a sympathetic, noble protector they have in yourself. But not a word about the Big Fellows! I ask; Is that just? Or is it, again, lack of guts; or just bad sports manship?

IS there free and real competition? I’ll say there is! Competition is not only free and real—but insensate. Euro pean, Chinese and native traders—and missionary traders also —all join in the free-for-all called trading in the Islands.

Service gone mad. Tied men financed by the Big Firms; Chinese and native trad ers cutting the heart out of the few white, independent (non-tied) traders; Chinese going bankrupt and others taking their places.

A merry hell of free and unrestricted competition. While the Big Firms look gleefully on, and, if the game lags, one of them will take a hand itself, just to make things interesting. If anyone wants a full life let him start trading in the Islands, with Europeans, Chinese, natives, missions and a Big Company as competi tors. Dolce far niente. I’ll say! Real Halcyon Days! i SIDELIGHT to illustrate what can, and is, happening—and how the natives are “exploited.”

After 25 years of struggle as a planter and trader, establishing a coconut plan tation and trading business in the Solo mons, my best pal was finally forced off his estate. “Broke to the wide,” he enlisted in the AIF, and was badly wounded by a bomb-burst in the face, in Libya. (Incidentally, I have not heard of any of the young BSI Chinese traders going to fight. In a British country it is OK for Asiatic aliens to oust British pioneers, who, old as they are, are good enough to fight, while their supplanters sit pretty and are looked after until it is safe to resume trading!) My pal’s plantation reverted to the native lessor. I now learn that my

friend’s two native cook-boys have bought the estate of their erstwhile master from the native lessor.

Full circle! These boys are to be com mended for their enterprise. Good luck to them. “Exploited”? No!