Opportunities in the Pacific Islands

ALMOST ceaseless inquiries are being received at the office of the “Pacific Islands Monthly” concerning em ployment and the chances of settlement in the Pacific Islands. Large numbers of young men, who have had a glimpse of Islands life as Servicemen, are anxious to see more of it as civlians.

At the present time, all employment and settlement possibilities are limited by the lack of transport. There are only one or two small ships back in the regu lar Islands run, and there are only one or two plane services running. Both ships and planes are wholly booked out—only nigh-priority passengers are carried.

Apparently these conditions will obtain for some months. It probably will be far on in 1946 before it will be possible to buy passages on planes or ships bound for the Islands, without high priorities.

Assuming that transport were avail able to the Islands, employment and settlement possibilities are somewhat as follows

New Guinea And Papua

Before the war, there were some thou sands of Europeans in these Australian Territories supported by well-established industries producing gold, copra, rubber and cocoa. All those people were driven out by the invasion, and much of their property destroyed. Unfortunately, some hundreds of “key” civilians lost their lives.

In these circumstances, even if every surviving civilian returns, there should be many jobs for young Australians, and plenty of chances of settlement.

Unhappily, the Territories have been placed in the control of a well-known Australian politician of extreme views, who apparently has decided to run the

Territories on Socialistic lines, with the following three objects: (a) to keep the Territories generally as a preserve for the primitive natives; (b) to substitute Gov ernment instrumentalities for private enterprise; (c) to discourage European enterprise and settlement generally.

Introducing a mass of new Regula tions, this Minister so far has succeeded not only in keeping new settlers and new enterprise away, but also has pre vented all private enterprise and a very large proportion of the old residents from returning. Consequently, there are defi nitely no opportunities xor new settlers; the only jobs available are those in Gov ernment Departments and Boards, which are obtained through an orgy of form signing; and the only conditions under which people will be allowed to go there, while the Eddie Ward regime lasts, are not likely to be acceptable to the average individualist.

The big employers of labour—Burns Philp & Co., W. R. Carpenter & Co., Steamships Trading Co., Bulolo Gold Dredging, Ltd., New Guinea Goldfields, Ltd., etc. —have not been allowed to re sume operations in the Territories. The gold companies may be allowed to start soon, when they will need many tech nicians; but the others apparently see no hope of return. In the eyes of Mr.

Ware! these firms—each of which has a magnificent record of pioneering work in the Islands—are merely “soulless ex ploiters.”

British Solomon Islands

There will be a limited scope here for jobs in the work of rehabilitation, and in new settlement, and gold-mining, as soon as civil Government is really re established. Transport is the present

difficulty here—there are no vessels run ning regularly.

Fiji

This large British Colony is literally vibrating at present with energy, enter prise and money, and there are many opportunities there for the right class of people. The right thing to do, by anyone interested, is to go to Fiji prepared to remain there for two or three months, and examine possibilities and openings.

Employers there, who need men and women, will rarely engage them in Aus tralia or New Zealand without seeing them—they have had too many unfor tunate experiences. At present, no one is allowed to go to Fiji unless he can satisfy the travel controllers that he has legitimate business there. Travel facili ties to Fiji are extremely limited just now, and only high-priority persons are allowed to travel.

Samoa, Tonga, Etc .—Polynesia

Opportunities for “outside” Europeans are few, and are decreasing, as the Poly nesian people themselves are achieving European standards of life, and filling the available jobs.

GENERALLY, the only places where jobs are available in the Islands are the Australian Territories and Fiji.

The Australian Territories are virtually closed just now, while Australia’s Socialistic experiment is in progress; and there are no travel facilities for Fiji.

There is room in the Pacific Islands for thousands of Europeans who are pre pared to find their own bit of land, estab lish their own home, and make their own livelihood. But these places are only for individualists, who can find their own way around, and adapt themselves to local conditions. Officially, they are not wanted, and they will receive discourage ment on every hand.