Magazine Section

Territories Talk-Talk

By "Tolalo"

BROWSING recently through Dr.

Lambert’s “A Doctor In Paradise,” it occurred to me what an argument that record of work amongst the New Guinea natives was against those nations and individuals who claim nothing has been done for Black Brother during the Australian Administration. The Doctor and his band of workers were flat out on the hook-worm campaign in the man dated area in 1921. They did a marvellous job.

A couple of corrections could be made to future editions. Administrator Wisdom did not retire with a title (page 105) although, at times, there were rumours of such an honour about to be bestowed, and on one occasion the printing of the Government Gazette in Rabaul was held up pending advice of such honour being conferred; but it never materialised. The “Siar” was not lost off the Australian coast (page 90). It was the “Sumatra” that disappeared on the return trip after repairs had been effected.

These are, however, only minor details in a book crammed with meaty reading. * * * Anthropologist, the hon. Camilla Wedgwood, is due back soon from the Old Country to assist in making budding officials in Papua-New Guinea anthropology-minded. Little wonder that the lady in question has a flair for re search work. Charles Darwin was a grandson, on his mother’s side, of Josiah Wedgwood, the founder of English pottery.

It seems to run in the blood. * ♦ * EDUCATION is spreading amongst the Pacific Islanders and, despite the fact that many of them are growing up, especially since the war, they are still looked upon, by the majority of people in Australia, as a quaint type of overgrown child to be spoiled and petted.

A Sydney Sunday paper last month featured the story of a Solomon Island “tribal headman,” who was cook on a small Islands vessel which w&s at the time in Sydney, and who drank a glass of rum every day with his lunch. “Rum, he keep ’um belly warm,” or so he was reported as saying. A truism, no doubt, but the story won’t be appreciated up in the Solomons where noggins of rum are not encouraged as items on natives’ luncheon menus.

There is no connection, presumably be tween this incident and the Rev. Goldie’s remark (July “PIM,” p 52) that “the spiritual life of native people is more vigorous because of the terrible experi ence of the years of war.” There are spirits and spirits. « * * AND then there was the Port Moresby “boy” who wrote to Melbourne for a “foodball” and the secretary of a prominent Melbourne football club “im mediately attached the Papuan boy to his club’s list of oversea supporters and arranged to send him a ball free.” Latei the lad forwarded 30/- for the ball, but the money was returned to him. What sort of a confused idea will he get of the white man’s economic system if this sort of thing continues? . . . “Cute little fellow, isn’t he?” probably say the Melbourne

clubites. But, cute and all as he may be h . e LI ca ,P ab i e of Paying for his “foodball. Such charitable generosity is misplaced and should not be encouraged How is a native to become self-sufficient if by by-passing his own local commercial institutions he obtains his wants gratuitously from Australia? It just doesn’t add U P- ISLANDS folk have been watching, with more than usual interest, the muchpublicised British Government groundnut scheme in East Africa. In fact, at one time, more than one NG planter was seriously speculating about transferring his activities to the Dark Continent, Latest reports, however, seem to indicate that the big scheme has mis-fired and the target of 150,000 acres being cleared iSoOO 6 r a?rls y Tlear a e S d dW and led 7 5So a fcfes planted. Bad planning 3 seems to have been the cause and this was due to governmental theorists over-ruling practical planters with knowledge of local cofiditions. Any commercial undertaking, given the advantages and scope which government planners had at their disposal, would have made a better shot at the target than that.

Government enterprise should step wanly when tackling problems in the tropics, and give due regard and consideration to experienced planters, who have learned the facts the hard way.

can say what you like about the 1 japs losing the war, but lam con vinced that the Terrorist trouble in Java, and now in Malaya, is the back wash of the Japs’ initial victories in those areas, and the exploding of the theory of the invulnerability of the white race plus delay at the end of the war in re storing order.

The red microbe loses no opportunity spiead its ravaging disease,, and what *a firm warning

to^hS to S

t £ a t the indigenous i? fn

Elated Gainst the vfrns

what wo g uld waterside workers’ atti tU de be trouwf in P NG9 Keeping a firm Lnd guide adolescent New C hnei through the mtHcate o oSmt P oUt ‘ cal traffic P if X f e if S s \ P 0 re c C o me It’s New ™ head before s T ITTLE notice appeared in the Aus- Li tralian press anent Australia’s battle in New York for the merger of the two New Guinea territories. This silence is rather difficult to understand in view of the importance of the issue to Aus tralia. It must come as a shock to some of the P-NG officials to hear the Philip pines delegate’s statement that despite 28