Where the Blame Really

Lies "Look Among the Brass-hats"

Letter to the Editor YESTERDAY was “Gutzer Day” here.

The local DO and retinue, stalking through the district like the Black Death, arrived to terminate all labour Army contracts; and, one hour after he commenced, I had 12 boys left out of 339. The DO, a very old hand, and a friend of us all, must have hated the job, but he had to carry out his orders.

So here we are, three assistants and myself, four half-castes, 12 boys, and 3,000 acres of rubber; with nothing to do until the boys get tired of their villages again and come out to work, or the com pany gets tired of waiting, and sends us back to our village. As I’ve been here 25 years, however, I propose to stay in Papua even if I have to live on bananas.

All this was inevitable. One did not have to be a KC to know that Army contracts must cease to be valid so soon as Civil Government returned. Nor do I believe that the sudden termination was a deep plot to ruin Hie planter, since the whole life of the Territory has been brought to a standstill, and the incom ing Government, the Missions, the Board, and what is left of ANGAU, are all just as hard hit as we are. rE whole blame for this_.debacle must rest on the Army, which has done a much better job under extraordi nary circumstances than it is credited with. I joined ANGAU in September, 1942, and am still on LWOP, in fact.

They gave me a decent spin, and I know a good deal about them.

But the Army’s voracious demands for labour resulted in conscription of such numbers for so long that the natives have “had it.” After, say, mid-1943, this con scription should have been cut in half.

Had that been done the boys then re leased would now be available as volun teer workers under the new civil con tracts. And a lot less than half the enormous number still under compulsory indenture at the 15th of this month would be more than sufficient to man all Papua’s normal activities —planting, ship ping, Government, and all the rest.

Few will agree with my idea as to where the blame for this disaster rests, but that is my opinion for what it is worth.

The last to be cursed should be the natives. My lot said frankly that they were “tired.” But, although told on Sep tember 27 that they could 8° home shortly, they worked on in the difficult three following weeks cheerfully and willingly enough, gave no trouble, ana paid me the rather touching compliment of showing that they completely believed such assurances as they required, as to when the DO would come to pay them off.

Anyway, that’s my opinion. While no doubt the Australian political fanatics are highly delighted at the spectacle of the “exploiters” on their beam ends, one must go beyond them, and further pack iS point of time than Ward's sudden interest in the oppressed natives, to find the cause of all this. Look for it in the bone-headedness of Army Brass-hats.

I am, etc.,

G. T. Gemmell.

Mariboi Estate, Papua, 21/10/45.