Native Labour

Laws

Modification Expected in New Guinea

LITTLE by little, the enthusiastic plans of the amateur administrators, which coloured all Australian Minister Ward's native policy for New Guinea in 1945, are being replaced by something re sembling sanity.

Industrial conditions in the Territories still are chaotic —but recent developments show moves in the right direction.

All native labour contracts were can celled in the mainland area north of the Markham on February 28, when Civil Ad ministration took over from ANGAU; just as they were cancelled under similar con ditions in Papua on Oitober 15.

But this time officialdom handled the matter differently. Fuzzy-wuzzv was not urged tenderly by Mr. Ward’s deputies to go back to his village for a well-earned rest. Instead, the hard-bitten and ex perienced officials of the newly-created Administration told Fuzzy he was free to go if he wished; but that it might be better for everyone concerned if he made new paper.

We have had no reliable figures, yet; but we have been informed that a much larger proportion of the labourers are signing on again, than was the case in Papua in October. Nonetheless, it is ex pected that there will be a severe labour shortage, for some time.

The more sophisticated natives are no more in favour of the one-year contract than are the employers; and officialdom is showing a definite inclination to ap prove of two-years contracts. This re moves one of the most objectionable features of the Ward native policy.

A persistent renort that the new Ad ministrator (Colonel J. K. Murray), accompanied by Mr. J. L. Taylor (who has had a good deal to do with the ad ministration of the new native labour laws), is proceeding to Canberra, where he will remain for several weeks, was confirmed on May 8 by Minister Ward.

Col. Murray arrived on March 14.