Chaos in Territories

Effect of October 15

From a Private Letter

Port Moresby, Oct. 19.

fIIHERE is chaos in this Territory, as A a result of the announcement by the Administration that all native labour contracts are cancelled as from October 15. The announcement was made in Motuan in the native newspaper, and it was also broadcast in Motuan to the natives.

When October 15 came, the powers that-be planned that all boys (planta tion labour included) would be signed off, and asked to re-sign immediately, under the new Provisional Government.

Colonel Steve Lonergan insisted, despite all protests, that they would just sign off one day and sign on again the next, and everyone would carry on as before.

However with all the boloney that has been fed to the natives by sociologists, anthropologists and Canberra’s political appointees, the natives became all con fused, and developed funny ideas —and one of them is that they do not want to work under the new outfit at less than £5 per month!

Only a few per cent, of the natives (boss boys and personal servants) would sign on again. And so all the planta tions have been forced to close down.

The boats’ - crews have walked off the boats—thev refused even to work on the 4 p.m. shift on October 15, in order to complete the unloading of a vessel.

One result is that we have a huge in flux of natives into Port Moresby, and cannot handle them, and the boats’ crews won’t man the coastal boats to get the natives home—except the Kiwais, who have, agreed to stay on until the boys are repatriated.

Cantain Fitch (managing director of Steamships Trading Co.) has closed down his plantations—all are at a standstill.