The Story Of Rabaul

Thirty-five Years a South Seas Storm Centre

RABAUL social life in those pre-World War I days was pleasant. It was a salaried—and a good-salaried— community of Government officials and executives of the Big Companies together with their wives. There were no cock tail parties or cinemas; no motoring or bridge evenings; but there were tennis, and informal dinner parties; there was always plenty of beer and champagne— both of which were cheap in comparison with present-day prices.

Contact with the outside world was restricted—every three weeks a NDL steamer called either going north to Hong Kong from Sydney, or returning to Sydney from Hong Kong. The hurry and bustle of big cities were a far cry from Rabaul. There was no sensational radio news to upset the calm of the tropic world. There were certainly occa sional purple patches, like the incident of my friend, the irate husband, but tran quillity was the keynote of existence.

There was no such thing as a European gaol. Anyone deserving to be imprisoned, said officials, should not be in the coun try, and it was an unwritten law that if a misdemeanour were committed the offender should immediately be given the opportunity of making a graceful escape.

If no escape were made, ansi officialdom were forced to catch up with the offender, then he was given the job of roadmaster in some far-off district.

The imprisonment of a white man in a black country would have a prejudicial effect upon, the minds of the natives, it was believed. The prestige of the white race was an all-important matter in those days when the natives were only one jump ahead of cannibals—even on the outskirts of Rabaul. This common dan ger was one reason, I am sure, why there was such little sectional jealousy then compared to that which made itself appa rent in later years. Manual labour was never undertaken by a European.

Chinese artisans had been brought from Hong Kong for this work, and a number of half-castes were also employed as apprentices.

Speaking of half-castes recalls an in cident which occurred when a rather prominent Government official returned from Germany, where he had been mar ried. He brought his wife back with him,

and all Rabaul gathered on the wharf as the ship came alongside; cheers and greetings were exchanged with the newly-married couple, who stood near the top of the gangway.

Then two little children, daintily dressed, and each carrying an armful of beautiful tropical flowers, mounted the gang-plank, curtsied before the bride and presented the bouquets. Imagine the embarrassment of the groom when ne recognised in the children two of his own half-caste offspring!

ONE contributing factor to the peace ful life of Rabaul then was the absence of political friction and the general internal contentment. Dr.

Hahl, the Governor, proved himself not

By Gordon Thomas

The Second of Three Articles

only a diplomat by maintaining the bal ance between the various European sec tions, but was also possessed of great initiative. An essential quality in those days when the Colonial Office in Berlin was many thousands of miles away, and the nearest cable station at Yap, in the Carolines, over a thousand miles from Rabaul.

Administrative decisions had to be made on the spot by the Governor, and were, therefore, compatible with local conditions —a far better system than that which was introduced later, when every other matter had to be referred to bureaucrats in Melbourne or Canberra.

Dr. Hahl inaugurated also a most repre sentative Advisory Council with at least two members from every section of the community.

Another influence for congenial living during those days was the absence of any financial worry. There were no banks, and therefore, no such things as over drafts. The big commercial concerns acted as bankers, where necessary. But you did not write out cheques, merely scribbled an order to the accountant of the firm with which you did business. It

went something like this; “Dear Johann— Please pay Fritz Schnieder, M5OO. and debit my account.”

There were, however, occasions when some of the more extravagant junior members of the companies discovered that they had spent 12 months’ wages in advance.

In our stern British way, we would have looked upon such a situation with a very jaundiced eye. Not so the Ger man firm where Carl—we’ll call him— was employed. Certainly he would be* reprimanded for his extravagance, but there was a simple process of adjustment.

Carl would be sent out as manager of a plantation where the production was high, and receive 10 marks a ton com mission for the copra produced, as well as his usual salary. Thus, his account would soon be in credit again, and he would return t<p Rabaul, just in time, per haps, to be relieved by some other extra vagant youngster who was on the wrong side of the books. That is what may be termed financial co-oneration as it should be!.

It' was a common thing in those days for an employee of one of the big com panies to take up land, be financed by his employer and start his own planta tion, keeping the wolf from the door by trading with the natives, or by extended credit. Over on the mainland of New Guinea, especially in the Aitape district, most of the private plantations were brought through the pre-bearing stage by shooting birds-of-paradise. That was a profitable business until some energetic, good ladies in Europe got the idea that the mother birds were shot when they were feeding their young. They had bird-of-paradise shooting stopped. (Actually it is the male bird which is sought for the best plumage.) But this “live and let live” policy, so prevalent amongst the Europeans at that time made life enjoyable. There was no depression, no economic pressure, and therefore a better co-operative spirit between all sections of the European com munity.

The First World War

AND then came World War I. The younger'Germans formed themselves into a sort of volunteer unit, some 50 or 60 strong. The Australian troops landed at Kabakaul. not far from Kokopo, in early September, 1914. There were a few casualties on both sides along the Bitapaka road, and then the Germans surrendered.

But war was different in those days.

The Australian commander allowed the German officials to proceed to their homes in Germany after the surrender.

Some private residents were interned, but for the most part, business was carried on under a military administration which lasted until May, 1921.

Rabaul during this time was a typical garrison town. They were not really happy years for the town. The old social life had disappeared. Queen Emma had sold her extensive interests to the HSAG. Private credits were frozen; mili tary restrictions and national feelings tended to create a tension to spoil the happy, carefree life. Only a few wives of the senior military officers were allowed to join their husbands.

The natives could not understand the change. The soldier was a type of white man they did not know. There was little or no development in Rabaul, or through out the whole Territory for that matter, during those years of military occupation.

The military had no interest, no civic pride in a mere garrison town. To them it was all part of the war—a nice little backwater in which to bide the time until peace came again.

The personnel were birds of passage;

the houses became drab and shoddy for want of paint and attention; the gardens were overgrown. The well-groomed white-coated “Masters” gave place to men in khaki tunics.

There were few women about, and when the female of the species is not in evi dence, then the male is apt to become careless in dress, manners and habits, and Rabaul was no exception to this rule.

Towards the end of 1920 came the fore runner of the European Board —a quasi- Government concern which was to over turn completely the Islands’ economic structure. All private property of enemy nationals was to be taken over, as well as the big businesses. It was a colossal undertaking to repla.ee all those men who were experienced in tropical commerce and agriculture.

Rabaul stirred from its military lethargy, and with somewhat of a bad grace gave way to a large influx of civi lians, who were, however, in every in stance demobilised Diggers from France and Palestine, returning to civilian life and somewhat intolerant of the Rabaul military whom they termed “Coconut Lancers.”

The Ex-Pro Board takes Over rE first few months of 1921 saw Rabaul the centre of a double transition: Preparation for the change-over from a military to a civil administration, and the Ex-Pro Board taking over from the- German owners.

They were busy days in Rabaul. Club and pub life in. the Garden City flourished. There was little organised sport; spare time was devoted mainly to steady drinking. The restraining in fluence of female society had diminished with the departure of the wives of the officers, and Ex-Pro Board members were not permitted to bring their wives with them.

May, 1921, saw the civil administration functioning, and there was a general re adjustment of residences. The Govern ment were confined to their own bunga lows; the XPB took over the houses of the commercial companies.

Two- clubs were in full swing and three hotels were busy almost 24 hours a day, for liquor laws were somewhat expansive at that time. There was no street light ing. A usual nightly sight outside the clubs and pubs was a squatting crowd of native servants armed with raincoats and hurricare lanterns, for the purpose of guiding their masters home to their respective bungalows.

Then, towards the end of 1921, as a result, of strong representations to the Australian Government, the wives of the XPB officials began to arrive, and the ladles had their troubles in adjusting themselves to tropic conditions where social laws had been for so long an un known quantity, and coloured house ser vants, with their Pidgin-English. an additional worry. Government officials’ wives had already been installed again, but the language hurdle was just as high for them as for the XPB coterie.

It took some time for a carefully brought up matron to accustom herself to some of the Pidgin-phrases: a language which originated amongst hard-bitten island traders and Germans who had little knowledge of true English. Many a blushing bride endeavoured to intro duce new words to substitute for Pidgin English for the bottom of a saucepan or plate, the ashes in the kitchen stove— and shuddered visibly, at first, when the house-boy, with a guilty face, brought her the best tea-pot with a broken spout and informed her: “Missus! Mouth belong tea-pot he bugger up finish?”

The general economy of words in Pidgin often bewildered her. The Pidgin

word “su-su” is much overworked, and refers to “milk,” or any substance re sembling milk, the breast or any rounded formation or contour resembling a breast.

The story is told of one young matron during this period, giving an afternoon tea party on her verandah, and most anxious to be at her best before some dozen of her new female acquaintances.

Johnny, the house-boy, had forgotten to cover the milk jug with the orthodox fandangle of net and dangling beads so dear to the heart of woman.

“Johnny,” she called, “You come!”

Johnny appeared; “Yes, Missus.”

Turning, she instructed him: “You ketchem this fella something belong cover him up su-su.”

Johnny retired obediently to reappear a moment later, with a rather puzzled expression on his face: “Im here?” he inquired, holding up for view a dainty pink brassiere. “Something belong cover im up su-su, uh?”

The language was only one of the prob lems with which the newly-arrived white women had to contend in those days.

Fever was particularly rife, and it was about this time that Dr. Cilento took charge of the health of Rabaul, and started a full-scale offensive against the anopheles. This changed the town from a malarial-infected area into a com paratively healthy town, though fever was often blamed for indispositions really caused by “hang-overs” and late nights!

The transition period in Rabaul lasted for five to six years. During this time the Administration was getting into its stride and the FPB winding up the Ger man affairs and making preparations for putting the properties up for tender. Pri vate enterprise was gradually becoming established. The big firms of Burns Philp & Co., Ltd., and W. R. Carpenter & Co., Ltd., were working up connections. Here and there new Government buildings were being erected. Motor cars were making their and by 1925 the social life was once more indicating its presence by the formation of little cliques headed by Mrs. Thousand-a-Year and Mrs.

Four Hundred-a-Year.

Rabaul was becoming quite civilised with its sectional jealousies and parochial partisanships. Housewives held sort of unofficial competitions. At one time it would be to see who could accumulate

the most brassware (much to the disgust of the house servants who had to clean it); at another there would be a craze for growing orchids or maidenhair ferns.

Cocktail parties were another social game—the newest drinks and the greatest assortment of savouries gaining the highest marks. If Mrs. Blondie Locks launched a party to which she invited 20 guests .it meant that each of the 20 guests would have to arrange “pay-back” parties. It was much the same as shout ing in a bar, only on a more elaborate scale. And the frockings at these parties!

They were right up to the minute! One of the secrets of this, was that the latest models could be imported from Paris at most reasonable prices, the explanation being that a considerate customs tariff levied only a flat 10 per cent, on all im ports irrespective of the country of origin. (To be Concluded in April)