"Ward Damage"

Territories May Seek "Ward Damage"

Compensation

CABLING from Koitaki, Papua, on February 5, a Sydney “Sun” corres pondent reported that, while the European staffs were on the job on the Papuan rubber plantations, the planters, for the most part, were still without native labour. Consequently, pro duction has fallen off very much and the Papua industry, capable of giving Australia 2,000 tons per annum (one tenth of the country’s vital demand for rubber), is more or less paralysed.

On Koitaki, 60 men are working, out of a normal labour force of 600—and Koitaki is one of the lucky plantations.

Last October, when the change-over from military to civil government was due. it was necessary to transfer the native labour contracts from one regime to the other. It could have been done, quite simply, without disturbing the natives, or the industries they served.

But Australian Minister Ward, eager to make a grand gesture that would be praised in Leftist meeting-places, can celled all the contracts, and told the natives they were free to go home or re-engage, as they pleased. The natives, almost to a man, went home. They are still at home.

There still is nractically no native lab our available. Plantations are languish ing. mines cannot get back to production, and the public servants in Port Moresby are washing their own shirts.

A return of native labour is exnected in two or three months’ time. Mean while, the Territories’ oninion of Mr.

Ward and his native labour ideas is ex

pressed in simple words of one syllable!

There is talk of demanding “Ward

Damage Compensation”!