Incendiary?

Alarming Series of Fires In New Guinea

ALTHOUGH the planters concerned have been guarded in their state ments made for publication, there seems to be no doubt that a series of fires in the Buka-Bougainville district of New Guinea is the direct result of native unrest —and, perhaps, of some thing worse.

During the past couple of months no less than 6 plantations on Buka and Bougainville have reported the destruc tion of their copra driers by fire. In nearly every case the circumstances are described as “suspicious.” The planta tions are:— Poen (owned by a Chinese) —drier lost.

Kessa —2 driers destroyed.

Karoola (owned by M. E. Babbage)— 1.

Yame (owned by F. A. Archer)—l.

Inus (managed by Paul Mason) —2.

Numa Numa (managed by Drummond Thomson) —1.

The last three fires occurred in the last fortnight of February.

Administration officials are carrying on investigations, and an official inquiry has been opened regarding the fires at Karoola, Yame, Kessa and Inus.

Before the war, the natives of Buka and some parts of Bougainville were regarded as excellent and trustworthy plantation workers. But, during the war, they were influenced both by anti-European Japanese and by certain Communist elements among the European troops which passed through; and to-day the whole of these native communities ap pear to be dissatisfied.

They accepted assurances that the plantations would be handed over to them at the end of the war. Their at titude towards Europeans generally—and planters in particular—is now sulky and non-co-operative; they refuse to work on the plantations: and their attitude to ward the Sepik and Aitape natives, who have been brought in to do the work is unfriendly.

Some planters place the blame for pre sent conditions upon the weakness of Ad ministration officials. The latter are said to have been unduly influenced by cer tain people at Port Moresby and Can berra, with the result that when natives are asked by planters to work on the plantations they sometimes reply that they have been told by the Kiap that they need not and should not work. Some sections of them insist that the planta tions belong to them and not to the Europeans.

Planters point with indignation to a particular Luluai in the district who served during the war as a Petty Officer on Japanese warships and who, since the war, has been allowed to retain his official position as Luluai, and to wear his Japanese uniform while on Government business.