"Some Measure Of Success"

Quarterly Report of the Pacific Territories Association Submitted to Meeting

FOR the first time since the inaugura tion of the Pacific Territories Associa tion, over 2h years ago, the executive had progress to report to the quarterly meeting in Sydney on December 5.

Referring to the Commonwealth Gov ernment’s recent decision to amend the War Damage to Property Regulations, to include “indirect” war damage, Mr. E. A.

James, president of the PTA, said that the existence of the Association was justified in just that one decision.

The amendments to these regulations, it is anticipated, will cover a number of matters which have long exercised the minds of the executive. These include: • Gold left at Wau which should now be insurable against loss. • Payment by the military for goods and chattels. • Assistance in rehabilitation. • War damage insurance on small vessels.

Members were reminded, however, that these amendments will take some time to prepare, and until the whole text is issued, the full implication of the Government’s recent decision cannot be stated.

OTHER matters dealt with in the executive’s report which was sub mitted by the secretary, Mr. C. A. M.

Adelskold, were as follows:

Deputation to Canberra

MEMBERS will remember that at the last general meeting the following resolution was carried: “That the executive be instructed to prepare a case for submission to the Prime Minister of Australia, and that they appoint a delegation from the executive to proceed to Canberra and submit same to the Prime Minister.”

Acting on this instruction, your exe cutive fully prepared a memorandum dealing with the following matters; (1) Return of civilian administration to the Territories. (2) Rehabilitation of the Territories. (3) Representation of ex-residents on Advisory Committees. (4) Civilian internees and their depen dants. (5) Gold left at Wau. (6) Payment for chattels and rents by the Army. (7) Sustenance allowance to evacuees.

Unfortunately, owing to the continued illness of the Prime Minister, your dele gation has not yet had the opportunity to submit the memorandum.

Advances Against Assessed War

Damage

YOUR executive has submitted a memorandum to the Commission re

requesting that consideration be given to the amending of the regulations to allow of more latitude in the granting of advances against assessed war damage.

Civil Administration

a^ our executive is taking all possible X action to try and speed-up the re turn of civilian administration to p apua immediately and to successive areas 0 f New Guinea as they cease to be areas of military operations, and in this re gard the following plans have been f orwar ded to other interested bodies in orc j e r to obtain their support and to present a united front of all associations a nd persons interested in* the Territories, p'ivil should be re stored i“pfa Mediately and in successive areas of New Guinea as soon as they cease to be L?* tv^t^the operations. It is considered that the return of civil and ?? vlll ? n settlers to the T£lL n^aHfro IS ii n ir ?J ere ?i s of 0 oJfn habitants, the European settlers and

Australia. , . ,

The principles upon which the policy 0 f former civil administration in those Territories was based, in regard to the Government and treatment for the native inhabitants, should in no manner

be changed, at least until some time after civilian administration has re sumed. It is believed that this is essential for the benefit of the natives, so that they may quickly be divorced from the mode of life enforced by war time control, and that any violent changes other than revision to pre-war conditions would be inimical to the present interests and future develop ment.

Native Labour Conference

AT the invitation of the Minister for External Territories, Mr. Ward, the , . T A was represented at a conference, held in Sydney on December 1 and 2, to discuss the question of native labour in Uie Territories of New Guinea and Papua.

The president, Mr. E. A, James, was ap pointed as our representative. Others at the conference, held under the chairman ship of the Secretary of the Department rL?Sf£? a i Temt P r i es > Mr - Halligan, were representatives of the various missions, two Administrations, the planters, miners and Miners’ Union, non-official members of the two Legislative Councils and anthropologists. Mr. R. Melrose acted as secretary. (For a full report of this conference, see elsewhere in this issue.)

Rents

rE position in regard to rents has not advanced since our last meeting, and „r^J h L3? ia i ter i . of payin g rents is still under consideration by the appropriate Government Departments. Many mem bers will have received this advice from a circular, issued by Mr. H. G. Alderman,

Red Cross Conference

THE Australian Red Cross Society called a conference of all associations in in Prisoners of war of Japan on the 28th November, 1944, and your executive was represented by Mrs I Meldrum, and the secretary. * ' Your executive took the opportunity of seeking the support hf conference to their proposals in regard to civilian internees a nd their dependants. The proposals, as submitted, were well received, and we can we consider, look forward to the support of the conference in this matter.

Conference also decided to establish a permanent conference on matters relat ing to prisoners of war and civilian

internees, and that conference will meet at least every three months.

Many matters of interest to relatives of prisoners of war and civilian internees and when the full report hP no* nc % 99 mes t 0 hand > sa me will members available for the information of i n - antime ’ residents of Papua Prf SP aSked to send to the 6 o^ y ’ PT s> the n ame, next of kin and address of next of kin of any Terri b°/rf^ 0m - they know went y mStog. became a prisoner of war, or a civilian pnn e <f nee d 3 ring Japanese invasion and consequent occupation of the Territories nii f C ,f, tary r 1 ’ 1 sort these out, com-’ pile a list and forward it to the Red Cross, who are anxious to make a com fifn% reg -? of all such P e °PJe from the twc(Territories. This should be done im thesfwh hP^ 0 ?^ ns will not matter tion befL fn We^ d - OUt - by the Associa- Cross bBf th hSt 18 glven to the Red

Discussion

IVTR. JAMES, asked to give his im lfX pressions of the recent conference pn indentured native labour, said that, in his opinion, although the confer ee was unanimous that indentured “ JPJJ? ev ® n t u ally go, the majority 5 °, f * h ® opinion that it must be a 1,110 confer ence there fore took the form of discussing what was to be done in the transition period and many modifications of the present system were discussed.

N ° actual resolutions were passed by the conference, but the whole proceed ings were reported verbatim for the Government, and these would now be considered, in conjunction with the re port on the investigations of 1939, into the native labour question, by the special rlla^ entary sub-Committee which deals with Territories’ affairs.

With regard to war damage, Mr. Tex Ha SSf 1 8 f, ask ® d if ’ in the Payment of “J 6 . Go yernment would take the present state of inflation into considera tion. Mr. James replied that there was no understanding that the Government would do this, but that the Association certainly hoped that it would do so— costs were at least 50 per cent, higher now i'?To 4 ? he sn, m f 1 ?T? ers lodged their claims W ? at - tho Association had asked beginning was that evacuees be ba ck on Properties that had been restored to the equivalent con dl“°£ /less reasonable depreciation) in which they had been left when owners were compulsorily evacuated.

Mr. R. W. Robson moved that the exe cutive write to the treasurer, Mr.'Chiflev asking him that when war damage pav ments were made to evacuees, inflation should be taken into consideration. He thought that this principle should be re cognised by the Government before the presentireguhtions were altered, so that it couM be embodied in the regulations. . c * H * Kirke moved an amendment to the effect that this should be deferred until such time as the new war damage regulations were issued. This was seconded by Mr. Tex Thomas, put to the meeting, and carried.

Mr. C. I. H. Campbell said that the Commission assessed damage according to costs which obtained in January, 1942 It was resolved also that the Canberra deputation, which has had to be postponed because of Mr. Curtin’s illness, should be undertaken at the discretion of the exe cutive. Mr. Adelskold said that, although the new war damage regulations would probably remove some grievances, there were still other outstanding questions which must be settled before evacuees could contemplate the future with any confidence.