Ng Administration Confers With Mission

Representatives

Wide Range of Plans Explained and Discussed

IN Port Moresby, between October 9 and 14, 35 representatives of Missions with stations in Papua and New Guinea, conferred with leading officers of the Provisional Administration, and were given detail's of the Government’s plans in relation to health, agriculture and education.

Many subjects were discussed. They included • ■ The organisation of medical services,

including the training of natives as Native Medical Practitioners, ■ Participation by the natives in the development of the economic resources of the Territory. ■ Training of natives for such vocations as teaching, technical and clerical work, ■ Educational and religious broad casting, The conference was opened by the Administrator (Colonel J. K. Murray).

He named the Director of Education (Mr.

W. C. Groves) as his deputy, to be in the chair, as required.

After the conference, it was stated officially that the discussion had been most successful, not only in the spirit of co-operation and mutual understanding that was evident as between Missions and Administration, but also between the different denominations represented.

SPECIAL sessions were devoted to Public Health. Dr. J. Gunther (Director of Public Health) was pres ent to outline the health programme.

The Director of Agriculture, Stock & Fisheries (Mr. W. Cottrell-Dormer) in a special session, outlined the long-range plan for native agricultural development.

He said the aim was to build up a com munity based on a type of rural peasant proprietorship, for nutritional improve ment as well as for economic purposes.

He said technical assistance would also be provided for European settlers.

Captain lan McDonald (representative of Post-War Reconstruction) was present at a special session, assisted by Mr. J.

Irvine (Reconstruction Liaison Officer in the Department of Education) in connec tion with proposals to apply the Common wealth Reconstruction Training Scheme to eligible and suitable natives.

After hearing the Department of Edu cation’s plans for early operation under this scheme including technical and clerical training the Missions agreed to allow their existing instructional faci lities to be used as auxiliary training centres. Detailed arrangements were dicussed.

Other senior Administration officers who attended included the Government Secre tary (Mr. R. Melrose); the Crown Law Officer (Mr. E. Bignold); and the Director of Forests (Mr. J. McAdam).

The secretarial work of the conference was done by Mr. Charles Julius (Research & Curriculum Officer of the Department of Education) assisted bv Mr. Peter Liv ingston (Education Officer for Broad casting) .

Other A dministration personnel attend ing included Messrs. F. N. Boisen, Area Education Officer, Rabaul: A. H. Buckland.

Education Officer in Charge. Central Native School. Sogeri; Mr. W. C. Steele, Senior Education Officer, who is in charge of arrangements connected with the edu cation of European children in the Terri tory: and Mr G. Stanton Crouch. Head teacher of the European School, Port Moresby.

The following were present for the 'mecial sessions on broadcasting:— Mr.

Basil Kirke, ABC Controller for External territories; Mr. Wilbur Reed. Manager of 9PA Port Moresby; and Mr. Mavnard lock. In these sessions, also, Mr. E. C.

Thrown (Divisional Engineer) ahd Mr.

Shane (Senior Technician of the PMG Denartment attached to 9PA) were pres ent as technical advisers.

AT the concluding session the Admin istrator said that he had been much impressed bv Mission work, particu larly bv the health and general well-being of children in Mission Schools. He referred to the great possibilities of agricultural development in the Territory.

Much could be done through experimental stations such as Kemp Welch. Aivura and Feravat. He suggested that the Missions, likewise, might experiment on their vari ous stations.

Bishop Strong, on behalf of Mission representatives, thanked His Honour for having called the conference, which would have excellent results. A sense of unity had been a notable achievement.

At the conclusion of the conference, while Bishon Wade occupied the Chair, the following resolution was moved by Bishop Strong, seconded by Rev. C. Man nering, and carried unanimously;

This Conference, representing all missions operating in the Territory of Papua-New Guinea, desires to express its sincere apprecia tion of the policy for education, health, agri culture and rehabilitation oulined to it by His Honour Colonel J. K. Murray, Adminis trator. and the directors of the various de partments of the Provisional Administration.

The Missons further express their gratitude to the Honourable E. Ward, the Minister for External Territories, for initiating this policy which they firmly believe, if faithfully and fully implemented, will ensure the spiritual and material advancement of the native peoples to whom Australia is so greatly in debted.

Mission Representatives

The following are the names of the Mission representatives who attended; ANGLICAN: Bishop Strong, Dogma; Rev. J D Bodger, Dogura; Sister Rawlings, Dogura.

ROMAN CATHOLIC: Bishop Wade, Northern Solomon Islands; Monsignor Hannan, Northern Solomon Islands; Monsignor Van Baar, Alexxs hafen; Rev. Father Van Baar, Alexishafen; Rev.

Father Hyland, Rabaul; Rev. Father Zwinge, Rabaul; Dr. Schuy, Rabaul; Rev. Father Cadoux, Yule Island; Rev. Father Taylor, Port Moresby; Brother Patrick, Port Moresby; Rev. Father Dwyer, Samarai; Rev. Father Earl, Samarai.

London Missionary Society; Rev. H. J.

Short, Hood Point, Papua; Rev. D. E. Ure, Port Moresby; Mrs. Ure, Port Moresby; Nurse Fair hall, Port Moresby; Rev. H. Rankin, Saroa, Papua; Rev. S. Rankin, Saroa; Rev. Nixon. Fife Bay. Papua.

METHODIST: Rev. J. R Andrew, Dobu, Papua; Mr. B. Brown, Dobu; Rev. W. Davies, Rabaul; Rev. C. Mannering, Rabaul.

LUTHERAN: Rev. Kuder, Lae; Rev. Helbig, Lae; Rev. Pietz, Lae.

SEVENTH DAY ADVENTIST: Pastor Mitchell, Port Moresby; Pastor Boehm, Port Moresby.

KWATO EXTENSION; Miss P. D. Abel, Sam arai: Mr. J. Smeeton, Samarai.

Unevangelised Fields Mission: Mr.

Sexton, Fly River, Papua.

Bamu River Mission: Mr. Lea, Port

Moresby,

Editorial Note:

Pampered Native and Helpless

European—a Bitter Contrast

rIS evidence of co-operation between Administration and Christian Mis sions, on an intelligent, long-range, co-ordinated plan, is excellent, so lar as it has gone. , No policy for the development of the Territories of Papua and New Guinea can hope to succeed unless there is behind it enough practical commonsense to make use, not only of the Missions’ far-reaching organisation, but also of the missionaries' long experience and frank understanding of native life and native character.

In the eyes of most people, missionaries are hopelessly unpractical idealists. But the missionaries of New Guinea, in both the pioneering and the war eras, dis closed a most helpful, workaday grip of the Territories’ most mundane affairs. It is in all ways a good thing that the prac tical hard-bitten men of the Missions should be given opportunity to bring the Administration’s corps of eager unblooded young idealists down to hard earth, and to earthy facts. It may be paradoxical: but it seems to the “PIM” that the mis sionaries main job will be to persuade the officials that the Fuzzy-wuzzies are not

angels.

rE most disheartening feature of all this is the consistency with which these worthy gentlemen ignore the claims of the unfortunate European settlers. For five days, the conference laboured to bring forth policies for the present and future welfare of the natives.

But, according to our report, neither missionary nor official spared five minutes to discuss the plight of the Territorians— those men and women now isolated in Papua and New Guinea, without any reliable service of either labour or trans port. without even reliable supplies of

common foodstuffs, ignored alike by idealistic Administrator and Socialistic Minister.

The natives, who ask little more than to be left alone, are being yearned over

by three hundred officials and swamped under millions of Australian taxpayers’ money. The European planters, traders and miners, who were encouraged during 25 years to put all they had and knew into hard pioneering work in the Terri tories, are being treated as if they were some kind of criminals, and denied nearly’ all the things they need to re-establish their homes and their industries.

One can only praise the careful, far reaching plans of the Administration for native education, health, and so forth; but how can such praise be warm while we have always before us the plight of the Europeans, struggling vainly for re habilitation against the obstacles created by Wardist Socialism?