Native Deterioration

Bad Report of Bougainville and Buka

Prom Our Own Correspondent

Buka. Jan. 2.

BEFORE the war, the planters of Buka and Bougainville could generally de pend upon local natives for their labour supply. “Buka Boys” were famous, as workers, throughout the Western Paci fic. It is a different tale to-day.

A batch of red-skin recruits from Aitape arrived a few days ago for Mr. Max Bab bage, of Karoola Plantation, and were a very welcome addition to his labour line.

This is the first lot to come to Buka Island, but other plantations are expect ing batches shortly.

Bougainville plantations have largely been operated by red-skins for the past year or so, and they have proved highly satisfactory. The Buka and Bougainville natives have become increasingly lazy; but the rising tide of foreign labour is be

ginning to bring home to them the fact that they are not indispensable and, shortly, may not even be wanted.

Buka natives have become much more independent and insolent of recent times.

What with early food and assistance from ANGAU, during the re-habilitation period in 1945 and 1946, and the later ridiculous War Damages, they have a weird idea of what their services are worth and what allowances should be made to them. They appear to expect the Millennium shortly —hurried along by their Cargo Cult and suchlike things.

On the west coast of Buka all the old Government roads are overgrown, and no one bothers. The natives on this coast do not bother much about gardens nor do they worry unduly about work of any sort!

One village even suggested that an appeal for food should be made to the District Officer on account of non-production of their gardens!

A rumour that has been circulating among natives in Buka and North Bougainville, for the past two years, is to the effect that the Administration will,

sooner or later, take over all plantations and hand them back to the natives. This is a popular belief among them. It has a generally bad effect and should be promptly and definitely denied by Dis trict officials. Some of the natives think that withholding their services from plantations will hasten the event.

There have been a number of robberies —mostly small —by natives over the past year of plantation tools, etc., and there is little chance of recovery of goods or prosecution of thieves. There were two robberies in quick succession at Kessa Plantation, thieves getting away with cash and goods from the store and cargo shed.

This gives plantation people a feeling of insecurity, especially as so many casual labourers have been employed, who, ex ercising their carefully explained “rights,” are here to-day and gone to-morrow (with something, if possible!). Hopes are entertained that stricter measures will be enforced before natives begin to remove vehicles, buildings and stone jetties!

A patrolling native policeman would probably act as a deterrent, or at least keep in touch with what goes on and be able to report same to District head quarters. This, of course, was pre-war procedure.