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Territories Talk-Talk

By "Tolala"

IT is unusual for anything of outsize dimensions to exist anywhere else than in the USA, and for some time I have been wondering how long the big snail phenomenon would be allowed to remain in New Guinea (as a memory of the Jap occupation) before it made its appearance in the US, bigger and better than any previous reports. At last it has come.

A press report from Boston (Mass.) tells of the advent of snails “as big and round as an orange, and weighing about one pound.” An Arizona zoologist paints a grim picture of these pests. A couple of them could produce 11,000 million other snails in a couple of years and “the situa tion is alarming.” They were brought to the USA in Army tanks, landed from Pacific war areas.

It is a wonder a similar invasion has not been reported in Australia, consider ing the number of Disposal vehicles im ported from New Guinea and other islands.

AND talking of such things as snails re minds me that an entomologist, well known in the Pacific, arrived recently from England in the person of Miss Evelyn Cheeseman. She knows her New Guinea and her New Hebrides well from pre-war experience, and journeys now to New Caledonia. For six years she was Curator of Insects to the London Zoo logical Society. Like many other of these female research workers she has a flair for wandering off into the jungle or mountain ranges, accompanied only by her carriers—and it is really amazing how they get away with it. They appear bliss fully ignorant of any danger, and the only ones to worry are the nearest Gov ernment officials who invariably live in a cold sweat lest “something may happen to them.” In the past they have been fortunate enough to avoid trouble. It is to be hoped their good fortune continues.

Too often the wilder the natives the safer they are. But natives are becoming more civilised now—and less safe.

WHICH reminds me of some figures I came across the other day in an old publication, which quoted some mis sion statistics and gave a detailed account of New Britain and its people back in 1885.

After mentioning, casually, that “canni balism can scarcely be considered a social custom, but it certainly is undoubtedly very common amongst them,” it goes on to say there 31 churches and 3,558 at tendances at public worship, also 36 day schools and Sabbath schools, with an attendance cf 828 scholars “many of whom now read and write fluently and are well-acquainted with the first rules of arithmetic.”

Which only goes to show that educating the New Guinea native is by no means a new idea, although it must be remem bered that sixty-odd years is not long when judging the life of a nation’s evolu tion.

LITERACY and self-government appear to be the bones of contention still being tossed about in the UNO Trus teeship Council by nations critical of

Australian administration in NG, and in particular, by delegates from the Soviet and China. Some statistician might work out a comparative table of literates in the Soviet, China and the Trusteeship Terri tory of NG. It might be illuminating.

As a matter of fact, it would be, PERSONALLY, I rather favour South Africa’s attitude regarding its old mandated territory of South West Africa. “No further reports of the Union’s government there (SW Africa) will be submitted to the United Nations.”

That edict was issued “in the interests of efficient administration.” In other words: If you don’t like it, says South Africa, you can do the other thing. And Aus tralia’s attitude regarding her territories could be a little more independent and less susceptible to UN critics.

What NG wants is a little more of the “Jack” policy and not so much of the kow-towing to UNO.

LAST month, attending the Pan-Pacific Women’s Conference, which was held at Honolulu, was Lady Phyllis

Cilento, representing the Australian Liaison Committee of International Women’s Organisations—and it would have been difficult to have found a more suitable representative. Lady Cilento whilst in Rabaul in the early twenties, did some fine work—both medical and social —amongst every type of woman there: Malays, Chinese and Polynesians, and before going to Rabaul she spent several years in Malaya as a Government medical officer. Her husband —Sir Raphael—is now Director of Social Activities of UNO at Lake Success. They are a pair we should have back in our own territory in these times.

SOME time ago I mentioned the natural harmony of the New Britain natives.

Since when ABC listeners have had an opportunity of hearing them in Frank Legge’s Week-End Magazine. The sing ing of the Rabaul choir must have been appreciated, for he gave some repeat re cordings in a later session, and they came over the air very well.

It would be a good idea if the Rabaul (Continued Next Page)

choir could make a tour of Australia, pro viding the lads were hand-picked and shepherded under wise escorts. Australia could then see what potentialities the NG lads have and dispel many illusions which the average Australian holds in regard to these Islanders.

THERE have been quite a lot of things said about the Disposals set-up in New Guinea—both in the past and in the present—and apparently many people are not quite satisfied as to what hap pened to the war-time gear which was put up for auction—or otherwise. There have been many innuendoes made and Dis posals Officials must surely feel some what embarrassed. It might not be a bad scheme to have a few official inquiries made which would cover the whole busi ness. If everything has been OK then Disposals should welcome such an Inquiry, to put them in the clear. If not —well . . .?

A RECENT paragraph in a Sydney paper stated that widows of the New Guinea Voluntary Reserve [sic] will receive the sum of £306 from the old Rabaul Comforts Fund, to be handed over from the NG Women’s Association.

Actually there should be no argument so far as pensions for widows of members of the NGVR are concerned, for a few days before the Jap invasion in Rabaul in January, ’42, the NGVR was merged with the 2 22nd Battalion, which was defend ing Rabaul at the time; therefore it was most definitely a fighting unit and its members’ dependents entitled to any war time privileges. If ever a unit did a good job of work in New Guinea it was the NGVR, and any attempt to discriminate is a scandalous reflection on the men who were really responsible for stopping the Japs advance over the Kokoda trail. Had it not been for these old-time New Guineaites in the NGVR it is very doubt ful whether the same response would have been received from the famous “Fuzzy- Wuzzies” (spare the name!).

So far as pensions for the widows of the NGVR are concerned, there is not an ounce of justification for the suggestion that they should not receive the ordinary service pension, and nobody is better able to endorse that sentiment than the one time OC of the 2 22nd Battalion, who is still alive. * * * BITS AND PIECES: Applications for the position of Administrator of Nauru are being called for by the Department of External Territories. They close in Canberra on August 13. . . Bill Dobell, the artist, returned from NG last month, and says he is thinking of going back there. Apparently the crudeness of the NG native appeals to him. . . . Mrs.

K. T. Joubert, widow of the well-known “Les,” has been holidaying in Sydney and is now returning to Wau. . . . Barbara Grose, daughter of the late W. E. Grose.

MLC, of Kavieng, was married recently in Sydney to Sandy McLeish, of Coon amble. It was quite a swish affair. Mrs.

Margaret Grose, of Moss Vale and New Ireland, the bride’s mother, was there.

At the wedding was the bride’s uncle, Commander Dyson Hore-Lacey, RN (retd.) and he, later on, was married in Melbourne on July 23 to Mrs. Marjorie Haggard, a daughter of the late Sir Geoffrey Syme. Dyson is well-known in the Territory for his support of the planters for many years, and he did an excellent job in the RN during the War.

He has given NG away for sheep in Vic toria, but his heart, no doubt, is still in the land where he lived for the past quarter of a century. He is the type that should be back there now, assisting in navigating the ship of state. . . . The en

gagement is announced of Winifred Singer, of the Lae Nursing staff, to Allan Warden, whose people live in Arncliffe. . .

Gone to his rest is Jack Sims, on July 14, at Vanimo. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. O. P. Sims, of Raglan St., Manly.