Muddling Through

In Papua

Old Planter is Outspoken

rE disruption of native life in some areas has been tragic—and I am not referring to battle-torn districts (writes an old Papuan planter, who re cently returned to the Territory “through a side door”).

From the information I have, those ANGAU officers who had been members of the Murray Administration did all in their power to protect those natives whose homes and villages were in “operational areas.” Unfortunately, not all ANGAU officers were of the Murray regirfie; the gentleman who had his throat slit by natives on Moturina Island in ’42 was one of them. Had a Papuan officer made that patrol he would not have undergone that discomfort. In the handling of natives under difficult circumstances, and with a minimum of friction, Papuan officials have nothing to learn.

It is hard to understand why Mr. Ward (Eddie, of that ilk) -should be making such a song and dance about indentured labour, especially in view of the present putrid system in active operation right under his nose. And how did he come to smell out those “grave abuses under the Murray Administration”? I fear he is a little adrift in his geography, and has the idea Sir Hubert Murray’s seat of gov ernment was Rabaul. In fact, before ’4l, I doubt if Mr. Ward -really knew much about Papua or where it was situated.

Knowing, as he did, little or nothing about either Territory, Mr. Ward was ob viously the sort of Minister Canberra would place in charge of both. If he played merry hell with the Territories, no harm was done —the settlers, having no votes, couldn’t retaliate at the polls, and niggers are of no moment (or weren’t until war correspondents discovered they were “fuzzy-wuzzy angels”).

Apropos this “fuzzy-wuzzy angel” stuff: Aren’t they a shade on the smellful side for angels? Or a little too earthy, as it were? I have always understood angels are very finicky in the matter of personal cleanliness and morals. rE trading monopoly now held by ANGAU for about three years, takes us back to the days of the New South Wales Rum Corps (history has a nasty habit of repeating itself). Trading occu pies the time and energy of a generous proportion of ANGAU personnel; bright energetic young fellows who prefer thflt kind of work to winkling the Japs out of jungle fox-holes. Returnees, however, discovered indulging their commercial in stincts are hung, drawn, and quartered, and the remnants hurled into the Coral Sea —on this matter the local Gestapo are fierce.

Trading is a close preserve, into which only the Army, Navy, Air Force, Ameri cans, and, of course, ANGAU, are allowed to enter. Some enterprising “Aberdo nians” in the various arms of the Forces are doing very well for themselves. We who have spent the best part of our 'years, cash, and health, in an effort to make Papua a good country for both white and native to live in, are expected to watch the aforementioned racket with out comment.

For base wallahs, black-marketeers, publicans, politicians, de facto wives, and a host of other parasites (including the Australian devotees of Joe of Moscow) this has been a wonderful war; and they dread the cessation of hostilities. But lose no sleep over the slaughter in the front lines. No wonder we had a host of wishful gentry telling us it would take

“many years to scupper the Jap.” (One authority mentioned 10 years). How en couraging this must have been to the lads battling along in the jungles of the islands, or on the hills of Burma. rE administrative set-up in Papua at present has to be seen to be believed.

Take this area, for instance. Under the Murray regime, now much maligned in certain circles, one ARM, and a few native police, gave efficient and kindly oversight to these island communities.

For transport from island to island he had a powered whaleboat.

The present staff embodies at least one major, three or four captains, a “pride” of lieutenants, and a “gaggle” or so of warrant officers and lower ratings—all busy tearing into a job previously held down by one, occasionally two, of Murray’s men. I doubt if they raise much sweat over it. In order to save shoe leather they have about five or six powered vessels at their disposal. Re turnees have to use Shanks' mare, or just stay put; ANGAU has all our boats.

If all these gentlemen are going to be carried over into the Civil Administration the Australian taxpayer is going to get a jolt. The pre-war contribution to Papua from Canberra for the Public Serr vice was about £40,000 per year. We doubt if twice that amount per month would cover present ANGAU expenditure.

Who is going to foot this bill when Army

appropriations cease? The revenue of the Territory will not nearly suffice to cover it.

For political reasons, gentry, who in times of peace lauded the Murray Gov ernment to the skies, now decry it to the depths. Alive, Sir Hubert was acclaimed by these men “a great Pro-Consul”!

Dead, “there is none so poor as to do him honour.” This pitiful, pettifogging, pack of poltroons, who now sit in high places in Canberra to criticise and belittle a sys tem of native administration praised the world over, shows the measure of present day intelligence; full of the valour of ignorance they would destroy an edifice which took wise, and patient, and far seeing Administrations many years to build. From Murray back to Macgregor, a line of sincere and devoted men worked and planned for Papua and the Papuans, white or native; if they had any bias it was in favour of the brown folk—and rightly so.

It is imperative that this great work be continued. Freak legislation of the kind favoured by Ward and Co. will destroy these native people. They are, as yet, too immature mentally to sur vive drastic changes in their social set up. The rhythm of village life must be maintained, or they die. Common sense and the real welfare of these Papuan natives demand the Murray Administra tion be reinstated, and the sooner the better.