Dusted Natives

The Mystery of Mr. Ward's Dusted Natives

Letter to the Editor I HAVE only recently received the November and December issues of “PIM,” and I should like, belated though it is, to make some comments on Mr. Ward’s address to the Pacific Islands Society, reported in the Decem ber issue.

Mr. Ward states that the natives had no recognised protector. Such a state ment is astounding and is a slur on the fine men that comprised the Magisterial Department of the Papuan Public Ser vice. Every native who made a labour contract knew that he could appeal to any Patrol Officer, Assistant Resident Magistrate or Magistrate if he had a complaint to make.

The word “exploitation” is an obses sion with Australian people to-day. What did the native have that could be ex ploited, anyway? They had nothing but their gardens a few, years ago; 30 years ago, 20 tons of native copra could not have been bought anywhere. They knew nothing of copra before the Government, for native good, ordered them to make plantations for themselves.

A native laburer’s wages were fixed by law and collected in advance or guaran teed. Until quite recent years, by far the greatest number of men in the Ter ritory were returned soldiers. But if it is exploitation to employ a man and pay him the lawful wages and comply with all the other labour conditions, then, of course, natives were exploited.

Mr. Ward says that mining boys were ill-treated and became “dusted” in the deep mines of Papua. I do not believe

either statement. I have worked at Misima and Woodlark Island (and also in some of the deepest and dustiest mines in Australia) and I say that the native miner’s conditions were excellent.

I should like to know who it was who found these dusted natives—either in Papua or New Guinea.

In Papua no native could be signed on for more than 11 months for deep min ing, and 18 months for alluvial mining.

It would indeed be a lethal chamber that could dust a man in that time.

Dusting is a slow process. Only the most minute particles of rock can be held in suspension in the air and only a very small proportion of this finds its way into a miner’s lungs. Most of the dust is retained in his nostrils.

There was not one rock-drill in the whole of Papua—and rock-drills are the cause of dusting, not hand work. Even with a rock-drill about 11 years (and not months) would be necessary before a miner became dusted.

I believe the South African Rand was one of the worst places in the world for dusty conditions owing to the peculiar properties of the rock. Some of the work in connection with construction of Australian sewers was also pretty deadly.

But no one squealed about the young men who worked in them getting dusted.

I am, etc.,

W. G. Young.

C/o Dogura Mission Station, N-E Coast, Papua.

April 8, 1946.

In their recent report to shareholders, the directors of Cuthbert’s Misima Gold mine urged the Commonwealth Govern ment to give serious consideration to the re-introduction of the pre-war Ordin ances in Papua, if and when the com bined Provisional Administration of Papua-New Guinea should be terminated.