Qld. Policy

Minister Defends Qld. Policy In Torres Islands

From Our Brisbane Correspondent IN November, Mr. Cliff Stanaway, a Brisbane Courier Mail special inves tigator, reported unfavourably on conditions he had found at Thursday Island particularly with regard to the destruction and looting of private prop erty by members of all the Services.

He considered that TI had had a raw deal and that practically everything, ex cept fresh air and money appeared to be in short supply on the island. These conditions suited the black marketeer.

He declared that with no local autho rity to press claims for Government aid, Thursday Island was not getting the assistance it required for rehabilitation.

He believed that the Queensland Govern ment was more concerned about the wel fare of natives than with the white population. He referred to TI as . . .

“this rich little pearling centre which has meant so much in the defence of Queens land.”

COMMENTING on Mr. Stanaway’s articles, the Queensland Minister for Health and Home Affairs (Mr.

Foley) said that the Native Affairs De partment was concerned with the re-em ployment of 700 ex-soldier, Torres Strait Islanders, in the rehabilitation of Thursday Island. Those Islanders, at the end of the war, had left only five cutters of their pre-war pearling fleet of 25 luggers and cutters; at present, their fleet totalled 37 vessels. Luggers pur chased by the Islanders were those in which European pre-war pearlers had shown no interest.

Europeans desirous of entering the pearling industry had been encouraged to return to TI, Mr. Foley said. Further, advice on the pearling and trochus in dustries had been given to European .ex soldiers who had luggers, or who were prospective purchasers of luggers. They had also been assured by the Native Affairs Department that aboriginal or island crews would be made available, and that if they could not market their shell the Islands Industries Board would do it for them.

In pre-war days the islanders’ co-opera tive store was situated at Badu, 40 miles from Thursday Island, and was controlled by the Island Industries Board. The store, with its 13 branches, had catered for the dependants of the island soldiers during the war years. When civil government returned the main store had been trans ferred to Thursday Island, According to Mr. Foley, eighty per cent, of the Torres Strait islanders’ fleet had been either immobolised or sunk; they had, to November, 1946, not received com pensation for this war damage.

He said that the earnings which the islanders had saved during the war years had been spent wisely and fairly. Further, as producers, they were not in competi tion with white pearlers: the market for marine produce was limited.

These native pearlers were returned soldiers; they paid taxation on their earnings, and they had some right in the industry to which they were born. They had, moreover, contributed materially to the re-establishment of Thursday Island.

A large portion of their earnings was spent on the Island, and they surely were at liberty to buy whatever they desired.

Bishop V. Foley, Aoostolic Delegate in Fiji, returned to the Colony by air on December 2, after an absence of several months abroad. While he was away, the Bishop visited the United States, Great Britain. Eire and Rome.