Territories Association

Quarterly Report Of Pacific

Meeting Cancelled Because of Strikes

OWING to the widespread strikes in New South Wales which have re sulted in severe forms of rationing of light and power and a nine o’clock curfew, the quarterly meeting of the Paci fic Territories’ Association, which was to have been held on December 13, has had to be cancelled. The following is the report which the executive were to have presented at that meeting:— rjIHE period covered by this report has JL been one of transition as during that time the Provisional Adminis tration began to function in Papua and New Guinea. Naturally this has limited to some extent the activities of the exe cutive, as it was considered desirable to allow the Provisional Administration to get fairly into action before raising con tentious matters, in order that some idea of the general policy to be adopted, could be ascertained.

Since our last meeting the news of the loss of the greater number of the civilian internees and POW members of the NGVR has been officially announced and to their relatives we extend our deep-felt sympathy. It, of course, still remains with us to see that the dependants of these men who gave their lives in the defence of Australia, are properly looked after, and this matter will be more fully dealt with later in this report.

Trading

WITR the return of civilians to Papua and portion of New Guinea, the Federal Government applied cer tain restrictions on the rights to trade

with the natives and in this connection the executive submitted to counsel a case for opinion as to the legality of the restrictions imposed. Counsel’s opinion clearly sets forth the right, provided the necessary goods are available, of traders to carry on their legal trading activities with the natives.

Native Labour—Papua

AS you are all no doubt aware, the con tracts of all natives employed in Papua were cancelled on October 15, 1945, and the natives were informed that they could, if they so desired, make a new contract for a period of one year. Un fortunately, the vast majority decided that they desired to return to their villages, and so at the present time the plantations, both rubber and copra, are at a standstill. At the .request of the Papuan Planters’ Committee certain action has been taken in regard to this

matter, but as yet no finality has been reached.

The necessity for the maximum pro duction of rubber and copra in New Guinea has been stressed to the appro priate Government Departments, and it is hoped that some way out of the im passe will be found before very long.

Rabaul Inquiry

fIIHE executive has again communicated X with the Minister and requested that

an inquiry be made into the cir cumstances of the non-evacuation of civilians from New Britain and New Ire land, at the time of the Japanese inva sion. To date a definite reply to our requests has not been received.

Proposed Pacific Island Club

A LARGE number of replies favouring the forming of a club for Island residents were received and the scheme will, it is hoped, be gone on with as soon as suitable premises can be located.

New Guinea Trust

rE executive has given much time and thought to a suggestion that a New Guinea Trust should be established to care for the relatives of those civi lians and members of the NGVR whose lives were lost in consequence of the Japanese invasion of New Guinea. The various women’s organisations and the RSSAILA, New Guinea Branch, have all performed excellent work in raising funds for this purpose, but under the circum stances that have now arisen it was thought that a large co-ordinated and comprehensive scheme becomes necessary and we, therefore, convened a meeting of representatives of all New Guinea bodies, and it was decided that the preliminary work be entered into to form a combined New Guinea Trust to take over the dis tribution of all funds in this connection.

The Trust will need to obtain large funds as the idea behind the scheme is for something on similar line to Legacy.

A survey of the clubs, associations and funds which were operating in New Guinea at the time of the evacuation and invasion discloses that the value of the combined assets of these bodies amounted to a very large sum and as a large number of these bodies will not function again it is hoped that the con trolling members will give consideration to the'transfer of thei** surplus funds to the Trust, as it is considered that no more worthy object could be found than that of caring for the dependants of our fellow Terrtorians .wir. w:*e no, .for tunate enough to survive the conflict with Japan.

Memorial Service

rE executive has arranged for a ser vice in memory of the civilians and members of the NGVR who lost

their lives in the war, to be held at St.

Andrew’s Cathedral, Sydney, on Sunday.

December 16, 1945, at 3 p.m., when it is hoped that all members will attend.