Better Educational
pp. 42-47 · Read in the full issue
Facilities NZ Survey in Cook Is.
From Our Own Correspondent N„, d ' RAROTONGA, May 28.
EAR the end of May, Rarotonga had a further glimpse of the shape of things to come in the visit, by air of a group of education experts from New Zealand. The party consisted of the following: Dr. Beebe, Director of Edu cation; Mr. Renyard, Director of Manual and Technical Training; Mr. Fletcher Inspector of Native Schools; Mr McKen zie, Director of Education in Samoa (formerly of Rarotonga); and Eti, Senior Native Inspector of Saafea During their week’s stay the party made a very thorough survey of the local schools and existing educational methods and conferred at length with the Resi dent Commissioner (Mr. W. Tailby) and ttje Rarotonga Director of Education (Mr. R. Walker).
This survey is part of a general edu cational survey of various Pacific ter ritories and ft is understood that the findings will be discussed at a later con ference in Suva.
Nz-Rarotonga Air Service
rE same plane brought a crew of technicians to instal ground equip ment for the establishment of the re i?- ul tf r New Zealand-Rarotonga air-mail which is now in operation. Rarotonga is now included in the fortnightly Paci fic Islands link-up with New Zealand.
Private passengers will be carried on the mail-planes, but rates are likely to be high for some time to come.
relating to native labour. In the past, native labour has been employed under the indenture system. It has already been announced that it is the intention nf thp Gnvprnmpnt tn abolish this 01 tne government to aDOllsn mis sys tern as soon as practicable, and the decisions that have been taken, and which are now outlined, are designed to remove the indenture system from Papua and New Guinea within a period of five years, or at an earlier date as may be determinpd hv thp rinvprnmpnf mined oy tne Government.
Comment
IT is at least 18 months since certain Australian Labour Ministers announce! that the indenture system would be abolished. Mr. Ward then complacently pointed to the fact that the plan was strongly supported by Professor Elkin, a prominent anthropologist; Bishop Cranswick, - - ■ ■
head of an Anglican missionary body; and Rev.
J. W. Burton, head (then) of the Methodist Missionary Society.
In the ensuing 18 months, the representatives of every interest in the two Territories, includ ing every missionary body, roundly condemned the Minister’s proposal as uninstructed, im practical and visionary. It was pointed out that not one of the non-official gentlemen who had advised the Minister had any real prac tical experience of conditions in the two Australian Territories.
It was most urgently shown to the Minister that the indenture system had been evolved through a long period of trial and error; that, properly administered and policed, it was of real assistance to the natives in bridging the gulf between their present Stone Age condition and the standard of life to which we hoped to educate them; that, as the natives have no idea of the nature of a contract, some sort of indenture, with a punitive provision In it, is necessary, if we are to run the Territories with local rather than imported labour; and that, if the native labour is not going to be provided for private enterprise, and there is to be no inden tured Asiatic labour, then the Territories cannot be developed.
Mr. Ward’s attitude, however, is that he does not care a button about private enterprise or development; and that, if he can administer to private enterprise a kick in the rear, he will be very happy to do it.
AS soon as the Civil Administration is restored, a new Native Labour Or dinance for the combined Territory will be enacted. The major alterations to be made under this Ordinance will be: (i) -The elimination of professional recruiters, who in the past have been permitted to recruit native labour for employers on the basis of so much per head for the natives recruited. In future, the engagement of natives will be by
employers personally, or by associations
of employers, or by salaried persons in the regular employment of those employ ers or associations. Licences to engage labour will be issued to persons approved by the Administration, and such persons will be required to furnish a surety in the sum of £5O. It will be an offence for any person to give, offer, or accept
recruiting fees, bonuses, commissions or
any consideration other than salary, in connection with the engagement of natives for employment.
Comment
A ND so the Canberra Department, having Gmre, r nlT^ ntly a !> andoned plan to substitute n f l recruiting (“a pool of native labour «r°f ed - by . thC Adminis tration”) for private or professional recruiting, produces a plan which, unorf puttin S.the onus of engagement upon the employer or his salaried servant, really makes the Administration the recruiting agent On present indications, that is how it will work out in practice. u*™ rUit i ng * S always a very difficult, and some times a dangerous job. In the past, it has been always undertaken by very experienced men If t 0 bC , recruited “ an easy, accessible fi a ♦5. be . employer often did U himself, and fees ‘ When labour had to be sought m difficult new country, the recruiter was en gaged—and earned every penny of his fees. In thus pushing gradually into new country, and taking these raw, primitive natives into more civilised parts, the recruiter did more towards the opening up and taming of the wild areas than any other single agency in New Guinea.
Mr Ward and his Canberra advisers have for go ten all that—all that they can remember, in their hatred of private enterprise, is that the recruiter, bringing in a new line of recruits, sometimes collected a cheque running into hun dreds of pounds; and such foul exploitation must be stopped.
It is no use inveighing against the stupidities of this particular “reform.” The Ward plan will go through. But—for reasons apparent to any practical man who knows the Territories— it will not work, and probably soon will be abandoned. (ii) As there is not an unlimited supply of native labour, and as the Government
proposes a vigorous policy which will
enable natives to take a greater share in agriculture on their own account than in the past, it is necessary to ensure that such native labour as is available is used to the best advantage. The Administra
tion will, therefore, determine the num
ber of natives who may leave a village for employment. It will also determine the number that may be employed by each employer, and the priority of indus try for the employment of native labour.
Comment
the Australian Socialists have ‘ £ no thought of proposing “a vigorous policy which will ensure” development of the Territory by European enterprise. The teaching of agri culture to natives is a most excellent plan, which should have been put in hand 20 years ago. But it must be part of a general develop mental policy, in which the available labour supply, and the proper training of the natives, must be considered in relation to other things.
In the one-eyed fashion that has become tragically familiar to Australia since Labour got control, all considerations in New Guinea are to be subverted to Mr. Ward’s particular phobia.
Mr. Ward evidently imagines he is going to make peasant farmers of some hundreds of thousands of primitive native men within five years. It cannot be done in less than 25 years— and then only as part of a developmental policy properly co-ordinated with native education, native health, and the due assistance of Euro pean enterprise.
In all these proposals, Mr. Ward seems to take no account of the financial aspect. In the past the Government, trying to make the Terri tories at least partly self-supporting, encouraged private enterprise; and the revenues from copra and gold production certainly put New Guinea in a very good position. Mr. Ward’s indiffer ence to the needs of private enterprise indicates that his Socialistic Utopia in Papua and New Guinea is to be a direct charge upon the Aus tralian taxpayer. (iii) The Government considers the rate of remuneration paid in the past to native labourers is far too inadequate, having regard to the value of the work
performed. It is, therefore, proposed to
appoint a competent authority to make
an immediate investigation into this
question.
Pending the receipt of such report by the Government, it is proposed to fix a tentative minimum rate of 15/- per
month, plus rations, issues, housing and
medical care, etc. Formerly the mini mum wage in New Guinea was 5/- a month, and in Papua 10/- a month.
If the report of the investigation is in
the hands of the Government prior to the promulgation of the new Native Labour Ordinance, any new rate will be retrospective to that date.
Comment
ATYPICAL Ward pronouncement. Anyone who knows as little about the Territories as the Minister would imagine from the state ment that the poor natives were being enslaved, at a beggarly 5/- per month. Actually, only a few “monkeys,” and employees of that class, re ceived 5/- per month. Generally, the pre-war wage in New Guinea was 10/- ' per month, and in Papua it ranged up to 15/-.
Indentured natives received transportation to their employer, and back again; food, housing, and the small amount of clothing they required; their health was carefully guarded; and Adminis tration officials carefully policed the whole system, to see that the natives were not ill-treated in any way. Even at 10/- per month, the natives did not know what to do with their wages. Small native trade stores beset the path of the return ing time-expired labourers, and had no trouble in separating them from their savings, in return for all sorts of junk. The real benefit which the great majority of these natives received from their labour contract was not money, but good food, a general clean-up in health, and a know ledge of the ways of the white men. Time enough to raise wages when the native has learned what to do with money.
A native labourer does not do one-quarter of the work of a European labourer. That, com bined with the inability of the native to find a value for money, makes it impossible to estab lish a basis of comparison between European and natives rates of wages, as the wages conscious Mr. Ward is trying to do.
The proposed 50 per cent, rise in wage rates will not, by itself, seriously affect employers in the Territory. It is the other “reforms” which are likely to cripple industry.
(iv) Preliminary investigation has been
made into the nutritive value of the ration scales formerly prescribed .for native labourers in the Territories, and this has shown that considerable im provement can be made. A greatly im
proved scale has, therefore, been prepared
which is designed to provide a scientific ally-balanced diet, and this scale will be
prescribed by Regulation.
(v) Hours of labour will be reduced from 55 hours a week in New Guinea and 50 hours a week in Papua to 44 hours a week.
Comment
TVJO reasonable employer will object to the introduction of a better dieting scale, pro vided the people who introduce it know what they are doing. It is impossible to comment until we know what the proposed diet is to be.
Any sharp departure from the kinds of food to which the native always has been accustomed, and to which he must return, will do far more harm than good.
The hand of the trade union boss is easily seen in the proposed working hours. Mr. Ward cannot see any essential difference between working conditions in Australia and those in New Guinea; and, with such a class-conscious man, there is no basis for discussion or argu ment. Natives in New Guinea and Papua rarely worked more than 48 or 50 hours per week. The climate compels all men to start work very early, and rest in the middle or hottest hours of the
day. The great majority of native workers were always free on Saturday afternoon and Sunday.
The white employers worked substantially the same hours.
One wonders how the Administration is going to police this regulation. Is New Guinea going to be cursed, like Australia, with time-books, hordes of Labour Inspectors, and so on?
And what is to be done in the case of house servants, of whom there were thousands on contract in New Guinea and Papua? (vi) The minimum age at which a native may be employed will be 16 years.
Formerly it was 14 years with authority to employ natives in domestic service from the age of 12 years. (vii) Employment of native women under indenture will not be permitted.
Single women, and a married woman whose husband is employed at the same place, may be employed in domestic ser vice by a non-native woman. (viii) Thfe period of employment will be limited to a maximum of 12 months and re-engagement will not be permitted until the native has been returned to his
home village for a period of three months. Formerly, a native could be away from his home village up to four years in Papua and seven years in New Guinea.
Comment
GpHE only way in which small native boys were A employed was as “monkeys”— generally usefuls around bungalows and camps. In the great majority of cases, such employment was a good thing for the youngster—he was well fed, and medically cared for, and in many cases was provided with some sort of education and training. He learned the ways of the Euro peans, and thus was able to take care of him self in the developing Islands world. The only reason that we can imagine why the system should be altered is that the class-conscious Mr Ward sees here a chance of embarrassing the people who dare to employ “monkeys” on their domestic staffs.
The compulsory reduction of the employment term to 12 months is a most serious blow at Territories labour conditions. The great majority of bush recruits never have seen the appliances and methods of Europeans; and therefore must undergo considerable training be fore they are worth anything. Generally, a recruit is not regarded as of much use until he has been a year or 18 months in service. The new maximum service will cripple the whole labour system. How many employers will go to all the expense of recruiting and transporting and training a native, only to have the addi tional expense of repatriating him at the end of 12 months?
The removal of natives from their villages “for up to four years in Papua and seven years in New Guinea” definitely opened the door to an evil which required attention. But it was not— as Mr. Ward suggests—a widespread evil; and it could have been dealt with in a much less drastic fashion.
So far as the native is concerned, pen alties will be prescribed having regard to the rate of wages the native receives.
Formerly, in New Guinea, when the minimum rate of wages was 5/- per
month, prescribed penalties were dispro
portionate to the capacity of the native to pay them. For example, a labourer who was absent without leave could be fined £1; one who used insulting words to his employer, £5; while the labourer who deserted was liable to imprisonment for three months without the option of a fine.
Contraventions of the labour laws will be dealt with by a Court of Labour and Arbitration instead of by the Courts exercising Criminal Jurisdiction.
Comment
TTERE, again, the Minister is dealing with an A A essentially Territories problem with the ignorance of a man who hnows nothing of the Territories, and with the prejudices of the trade union Left-winger.
Prevailing native wages were not 5/- per month, but 10/-. The penalties had to be made drastic, because these primitive people have no idea of a contract. There really are only two ways in which recalcitrant native labourers can be punished—a whipping, or calaboose with hard labour. A fine, or calaboose alone, is not re garded seriously by the natives.
Apparently, we are to have all over again the troubles caused in the late ’twenties in New Guinea by well-intentioned people who would not allow natives sent to gaol over labour breaches to be punished. The result was a threatened breakdown of the whole labour system—boys sought, rather than avoided a spell in calaboose.
General Griffiths, during his short but highly efficient Administratorship (1932-34), put some ginger into the calaboose. If real hard labour were not available for malefactors, they did a little regular pack-drill. Labour discipline was very quickly re-established in the Territory.
Mr. Ward, apparently, is determined to help Black Brother to defy the boss; and, moreover, he is going to create a new “Court of Labour and Arbitration” wherewith to do it. The Terri tories are going to have some of the bureau cratic machinery which has half throttled Aus tralian industry. The Court of the Kiap, who ruled his district generally wisely and well, through his long, practical knowledge of both Europeans and natives, is to be over-ridden by some fancy institution direct from Sydney Trades Hall!
(ix) Repatriation of native employees
to their home villages will be at the expense of the employers, and under the
supervision of the Administration.
(x) The penal provisions of the Ordin ance will be limited as follows: (a) Against the native in respect of:
(i) Enforcement of the statutory pro
visions governing the contract; (ii) Mak
ing a contract with an employer while under contract to another employer.
(b) Against the employer or his
agent in respect of: (i) Contraventions
of the law in regard to the engage
ment of natives; (ii) Enforcement of
the statutory provisions governing the
contract; (hi) 111-treatment of a
worker. (c) Pecuniary penalty for breach of
labour laws, with enforcement of the
payment of fines by imprisonment.
(xi) Employment of non-indentured
labour will be permitted within the
Administrative District in which the
worker’s village is situated, and 25 miles beyond when the village is adjacent to
the boundary. Formerly, the limits were,
in Papua, within 20 miles of the village and in New Guinea within 25 miles Con
ditions of employment of non-indentured
labourers will be the same as for inden
tured labourers as regards hours, hous
ing, rations, medical care and minimum wage. (xii) A new provision will be made to
provide for compensation for injury or
death arising out of employment
(xiii) A separate Department will be
established to administer native labour.
Comment
TT is known that, for the drafting of the new A Native Labour Ordinance, this Minister had the benefit of the report of the New Guinea Commission which finished its work just before the war, and the practical advice of two or three experienced New Guinea officials.
It is apparent from the foregoing, therefore, that Mr. Ward, having set out to make himself famous as the Great Reformer of the Pacific Territories, would be turned aside neither by precept nor principle. No man with practical experience of Territories conditions, and espec ially with any knowledge of the history of native labour in New Guinea, could have produced the above plan.
It will benefit the natives no more—and prob ably less—than the system which the Australian Administration evolved in 25 years of trial and error; and it will hamstring industry and trade in the Territories.
It is Mr. Ward’s plan. Unhappily, he will have disappeared from off the political stage long before his precious plan can be got rid of,
ALTHOUGH native labour is a very important item it can only be re garded as a small part of any plan that is made for the benefit of the natives as a whole. The native population of the Territories is estimated to be about one million, and the greatest number of natives in employment at any one time has not exceeded 60,000.
For the general benefit of the natives, much more must be done to improve conditions of living in the villages and plans for that purpose are being formu lated.
The immediate need is to repair the damages caused by war, both to native life and property. Some time ago a Com mittee was set up to investigate and recommend a just and practicable plan for compensating natives in Papua and New Guinea for loss of or damage to land and property and death or injury arising from military operations, or aris ing out of causes attributable to the existence of a state of war in the Ter ritories. This Committee has completed its investigations and it is expected that its report will be available at an earl? date.
Thereafter, it will be the aim to im prove the health of the natives generally and by education to improve their con ditions and the standard of living. In the past, much of the education of the natives has been in the hands of mis sionaries. Our plans provide for a vigor ous programme of education in its broad est sense, controlled and directed by the Administration. This does not mean that the missions will be excluded from that field. They have performed very valuable services in the past and can continue to do so within the frame-work of the edu cational programme that is being devel oped.
FORMERLY, the economic development of the Territory and the extent to which industry might be expanded were limited only by the markets avail able and the supply of native labour that could be obtained. There had been some development by natives on their own account.
In future, the basis for the economy of the Territory will be native and Euro pean industry, with the limit of non native expansion determined by the wel fare of the natives generally.
Trading activities, particularly so far as they affect the natives will be under much closer scrutiny and control than in the past; but the policy of the Go vernment in this regard has not yet been determined.
Transport between Australia and the Territories and within the Territories is a major factor in the development of the areas; and the future of shipping and aviation activities is now being con sidered by the Government.
The magnitude and complexity of the task can be seen when I mention that practically all settlements in New Guinea and many of those in Papua will require to be rebuilt. Opportunity will be taken to bring to our assistance all technical aid that will be necessary to provide suit able and attractive areas of settlement by town planning, and construction of buildings that are appropriate to the climate and equipped with modern facilities. r carry out the plans of the Govern ment an efficient and energetic ad ministration will be required, and although many of the experienced officers of the former administrations who have performed such splendid services in the past will be available, other officers will be required to fill vacancies that have been caused by war casualties and re tirements from the Services.
The most important post to be filled is, of course, that of Administrator; and it has been decided to pay a salary of £2,OCK) and an entertainment allowance of £5OO per annum to the occupant of that post.
In order to have the widest possible field of selection it has been decided to invite applications for the appointment, and this action will be taken forthwith.
Among other important posts of the Services for which application will be invited are those of Director of Public Health (salary £l,lOO-£1,200), Director of Agriculture (salary £l,OOO-£1,100), Direc tor of Education (salary £9OO-£1,000). The foregoing rates of salary have been fixed, having regard to the fact that residents of the Territories are not subject to income tax in respect of salary earned by them in the Territories.
PLANS for the return of civil adminis tration have so far progressed as to make it possible to anticipate that the transfer of the control of the ad ministration of Papua and portion of the Territory of New Guinea south of the Markham River can be effected about the beginning of October, 1945.
It will be some time, however, before normal conditions can be re-established, even in those areas, especially in rela tion to the supply of stores and the pro vision of transport between Australia and the Territories, and within the Terri tories. It will, therefore, be necessary, even after civil administration has been re-established, to retain certain restric tions upon the entry of persons to the Territories and upon activities generally.
Much reconstruction and rebuilding of public and private utilities and living accommodation will be necessary, especi ally in the Territory of New Guinea, before any large number of civilians can be accommodated in the town areas.
So far as possible, authority will be given for the return of persons to plan tations and essential industries; but such persons will for the present be subject to control of the Australian New Guinea Production Control Board under National Security (External Territories —Control of Industries) Regulations, Former residents of the Territories and their families will be permitted to return to the Territories so soon as it is prac ticable to do so, having regard to the circumstances of each individual case.
"Anthropos "
rntiE editor of the well-known inter- J. national anthropological journal called “Anthropos,” Dr. G. Hoeltker, escaped from Vienna (where the journal was published for many years) when the Nazi invasion of central European coun tries commenced, and he since has made his home in Switzerland. The journal is now being published in Switzerland.
Dr. Hoeltker is at present giving lec tures in Switzerland at the University of Fribourg, about the totemism and the social problems of the primitive people of the tropics. The Aztek-Mexican lan guage is included among his subjects. He is also a lecturer at the Tropical Institute of Basle about the ethnography of tropi cal countries. He always has taken a very keen interest in all matters affect ing the present condition and future welfare of the native peoples of the Pacific Islands.
Miss I. M. Smith, who has been in the service of the Government of Fiji since 1921, is to leave shortly for New Zealand on leave prior to retirement. Miss Smith has been secretary to many Boards, Com mittees and Commissions in her 24 years of service, most of which she has spent in the Secretariat. She was attached for a time to the Governor’s office. Since 1938, Miss Smith has been “Hansard” reporter.
Flight Lieutenant Maurice Scott, who last year was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross received the decoration from His Majesty the King at an investiture at Buckingham Palace on July 3. He expects to be returning to Fiji shortly.
Mr. W. E. Donnelly, who for the past 12 years has been headmaster of Toorak Boys’ School, Fiji, and recently, in addi tion, headmaster of the Lelean Memorial School, will shortly leave the Colony. He has given valuable service to education in Fiji, and was appointed a member of the Board of Education a few months ago when the Stephens’ report was being con sidered. He is a very keen rugby sup porter, and the development of the Junior Fijian Section of the Suva Rugby Union owes a great deal to him. He organised also, inter-school competitions in the Colony.