Magazine Section

Territories Talk-Talk

By "Tolala"

HANDS Off New Guinea,” declared a front-page head-line in a Sydney daily, recently, when referring to remarks made by Minister Spender to a meeting of business-men in Port Moresby at which he pointed out the Territory’s strategic value to Australia. As I read the head-line the hands of Time soun back twelve years and I heard Little Dig ger William Morris Hughes give voice to the same phrase, and his words: “What we have, we hold,” caused a flutter in the Canberra dovecots. WMH had iust ar rived on the inaugural flight of the WRC airlines, and Rabaul and its wife greeted Billy in true New Guinea fashion on the Top Drome, while over in Europe one Adolf Hitler was clanking his sword and demanding his colonies back.

THERE have been many Parliamen tarian visits to NG, but it’s pretty safe to say that Mr. Spender’s tour will be the most important, and it’s odds on that he’ll make the tour with all the necessary dignity which is essential in that country. It is a mis

taken idea, put into practise by too many itinerant poli ticians, that the native ex pects to be slapped on the back and treated familiarly, as an overgrown child.

One of the first Austra lian parliamentary parties to visit NG was in 1923, when Senator Crawford brought up a senatorial team, with one lone MHR attached—the then little known F. M. Forde, Labour Army Minister until the 1946 elections and now minister to Canada. The party showed little regard for sartorial correctness, as they met officials and native chiefs in their unpressed pants and braces and crumpled shirts, while one or two sported bandana handkerchiefs around their necks.

Natives were not favour ably impressed. Visiting parliamentarians should realise that dignity is a natural characteristic of NG headmen and their people expect chiefs from the white man’s countrv to possess that same quality.

A very discriminating gentleman is the NG native, and none more able to apnraise a white man’s value than he.

It was on this visit that broadcast history was made at Bitapaka, near Rabaul.

The party listened-in to a broadcast made by school boys from Missionary Gol die’s Rubiana station, picked up bv the AWA at Bitapaka. It was quite an event. * * * THE P-NG Territory’s consumption of twist tobacco is causing a few headaches in Canberra because of the dollar short

ages. In 1949, there were 277,333 lb. im ported from USA, and the price is over a dollar a pound. Something will have to be done about it. The amount of tobacco used now has not increased much in the last ten years—a mere 14,000 lb., which is remarkable considering the natives’ greater buying power, plus his war-damage and higher wages.

What a pity that we cannot plumb the secret of the tastiness of the product from those Virginian tobacco factories. Time and again attempts have been made by local NG growers to turn out a home made twist, but it has never proved popu lar with the native connoisseur of the weed.

What a country NG will be when it can produce, for home consumption, its own twist tobacco, rice, sugar, cotton and tinned fish, to say nothing about tea, cof fee and cocoa. White Territorians don’t seem to appreciate the value of home grown foods. Often in Rabaul stores I have noticed housewives look with sus picion on locally produced desiccated coco nut and coffee, and deliberately choose the imported article at twice the price.

I remember one man, who wanting to treat his dog for a certain ailment, sent

to Sydney for areca nut. He was quite surprised when he was told he could have got the same medicine from a betel-nut palm growing in his backyard, or from his cook-boy’s dilly-bag.

If ever a country could be self-support ing it is New Guinea with its range of climates and its fertile soils.

WITH all the publicity being given to the natives around Ncndugl, as a re sult of the Hallstrom Trust, artist William Dobell and one thing and another, it is surprising to me that the kanda swallowing gents around Bena Bena have not come in for some recognition. A talent-scout from one of the world’s cir cuses would do well up in that area. The ease with which the expert pushes a couple of feet of rattan down his gullet is really remarkable.

THERE was a broadcast review last month, over the ABC network, of Lewis Lett’s latest book on Sir Hubert Murray. And a most disappointing affair it was, at any rate insofar as the review went. Rather was the book used as a peg on which to hang propaganda for a socialistic rule amongst the Papuans. Sir

Hubert’s fine work of thirty years ago was criticised in the light of present-day New Deal methods for the natives, which is by no means a fair comparison.

IT would be interesting to know exactly why it is that the Territory of P-NG is not permitted to have its own postage stamps as in pre-war days. Both the Papuan and TNG issues were then much sought after by philatelists all over the world, and no inconsiderable revenue flowed into the Treasury coffers when commemorative series were issued. And when, and if, they come let the designs be as picturesque as they used to be.

BACK again to that hardy annual—in dentured labour. During the course of a conversation on the matter with a post-w r ar Territory official recently, he said that one of the main objections to the system was transporting the native so far from his own district. In reply I contended that in all TNG districts, at any rate before the war, the majority of labourers were employed in their own respective districts. Later on I turned up some records which bear this out and are of general interest.

Ten years ago (1938-39) the 41.000-odd indentured natives were distributed in the following districts: Kieta, 2,897 <2,783 born in Kieta district): Madang, 5,049 (4,054 born in Madang district); Manus. 1,392 (696); Morobe, 12,972 (7,097): New Britain, 11,374 (5,499); New Ireland. 5,578 (2,648) and Sepik, 2,365 (1,931).

The death-rate amongst them was 1.5 per cent, and of the 18,463 natives who were paid off in that year, 9,652 made new contracts. That doesn’t sound much like “slavery” does it?

IT was good to hear H. B. Gullett, MHR, in Canberra last month remark, in effect, on the fact that United Nations was sticking its neck out a bit too far with regard to our administration of TNG.

“Such interference,” said the Liberal member, who was a major and won the MC in the last war, “was unnecessary and wrong.” . . . It’s about time Australia told the Trusteeship Council to “pull its head in.” Australia has always been too long-suffering and complacent where these international set-ups have been con cerned.

She trembled with fear in the League of Nation days when one of the Per manent Mandates Commission ventured to criticise the TNG administration, even as she does to-day when its successor, the Trusteeship Council, passes adverse com ment on some internal matter in the Ter ritory, which concerns nobody but Aus tralia.

Japan worried little about the League of Nations when they had the Carolines — and they got away with it. South Africa similarly is certainly not to be pushed around in regard to the African terri tories. One good thing is that Australia.

NZ'., Britain, France and Belgium have had the gumption to refuse to fly the United Nations flag alongside their own in ter ritories under their trust and administra tion.

It’s time that Australia grew out of this inferiority complex regarding her terri tories, and stopped dancing every time a member of UN (mostly ill-informed) piped a tune.

SERVICE medals seem, somehow, to have lost their old-time value, if one can judge by the thousands of Dig gers who never claim them when they are available for distribution. But there is a certain pride in their possession still for those more sentimentally Inclined; more especially when the winner has paid the

supreme penalty, and the medal remains a mute symbol for what he died, and is treasured by those whom he left behind.

Army authorities might well consider ex tending the eligibility for one of the Pacific medals to those many TNG resi dents who became POW’s and lost their lives at the hands of the Japs. It would be a thoughtful gesture and one appre ciated by many of those who are left.

BITS AND PIECES: Mrs. L. Banks is back from a trip to England, looking well. . . . Margaret Mead, well-known US anthropologist in TNG, has added an other book to her already large output.

The title is “Male and Female.” ... A woman doctor has been added to the Ter ritory’s medical staff in the person of Dr.

Maria Janousek, from Prague, Czechoslo vakia. . . . It’s good to hear that vulcano logical recordings are being officially taken in Rabaul again. Forewarned is forearmed. .. . Mrs. J. Hindle, wife of the Commissioner for Lands in BSI, ar rived last month in Sydney from Honiara and brought her two daughters down for school. . . . Other arrivals by the Morinda were Mrs. R. Carey, who had been attend ing her daughter’s wedding at Honiara, and Mrs. C. B. Jones.