Resident Complains of Papua's
p. 31 · Read in the full issue
Rising Costs
Prom a Brisbane Correspondent MR. G. T. GEMMELL, of Mariboi Estate, Papua, who recently arrived in Brisbane, said that Australian traders in New Guinea were being treated as foreigners by the Federal Gov ernment. He recently bought a fan belt for his car, but was told that it was a prohibited export item to New Guinea.
An export license, he said, was required to send many essential goods to the territory and traders were being driven away by rising costs and lack of labour.
Native rubber tappers, according to Mr.
Gemmell, were being paid £3 a month on Government plantations as against 15/a month by plantation owners, who could not afford to pay them more and feed them, too.
Cost of labour and native rations had trebled since 1939, and many traders were finding it impossible to make a profit.
Mr. Gemmell said that many natives, who had participated in the Federal Gov ernment’s native war damage compensa tion payments (totalling £1,500,000) would not work while they had money.
Mr. Gemmell is visiting Queensland on two months holiday.