Boat Building In New Guinea
p. 90 · Read in the full issue
THE boats which Mr. A. G. Cameron is building at Garua Island, near Tala sea, on the northern coast of New Britain, are finding favour—Mr. Cameron reports that he has received a large num ber of new orders.
Mr. Cameron is using native labour as much as possible; “but,” he writes mourn fully, “I doubt whether a period of one year’s indenture is sufficient to bring New Guinea natives to a high enough standard of technical efficiency to maintain a boat building industry.”
It was part of the Australian Govern ment’s policy, in its campaign against the Europeans who were “exploiting” New Guinea, to reduce the native labour in denture period from three years to one.
As a result, industrial enterprise in the Territory has been handicapped.
Mr. Norman Nelson, managing director of Nelson & Robertson Pty., Ltd., of Syd ney, well-known Islands merchants, ac companied by Mrs. Nelson, left Sydney by the “Changte” on January 12, on a visit to Japan and other countries of the Far East.