Territories Talk-Talk

By Tolala

NOT so long ago government offi cials were “wrapping up” the NG Highland natives, holding them up as a solution to the native labour problem in the Territory.

Like many another scheme it looks well on paper, apparently, for only recently I met an old-time planter and remarked to him that I had heard he had some Chimbus work ing for him.

A snort of annoyance and a steely glint in his eye conveyed to me that all was not well. “You heard wrong,” he said. I work for the Chimbus.”

He supplemented his remark with details of costs, which ran into £36 a head to obtain and repatriate for a year’s alleged service.

Government policy at the present moment seems to be one of encouraging private enterprise. It will find that an adequate and reasonable labour sup ply is one of the main attractions now, even as it was some years ago.

I remember when, in the middle twenties, before the first Expropria tion Board properties were put up for tender, the representative of a big British planting concern made a tour of the Territory, examining properties with the idea of buying up the old German estates en bloc.

He was favourably impressed from an agricultural and productive angle, but the absence of adequate labour and government restrictions on native labour employment, even in those days, were factors which decided him against recommending his company to go to NG.

THE recent native art exhibition held in Rabaul reminds me of a somewhat similar display held in the old Times Building in 1934. and sponsored by the Administrator, Tom Griffiths. There were some very fine ethnological specimens from every part of the Territory, and District Officers on all stations were co-opted in collecting native craft work. Mount Hagen axes were the high-light then, together with some fine weaving from the Western Islands. The display, which lasted for several days, ter minated with a concert by the Matupi natives and the choir’s rendering of the “Hallelujah Chorus” is something I shall never forget.

These art exhibits are some thing which should be en couraged. At the time it was ar ranged that they would become an annual event in some one part of the Territory. But eruptions and wars have taken people’s minds off

such aesthetic interludes and, so far as I know, the recent one in Rabaul is the first indication of a survival.

APROPOS of native music, Eugene Goosens, who has recently re turned from a trip to NG, comes back full of enthusiasm of the NG native music and wants some records made. He seems to have the idea that he has “dis covered” something. As a matter of fact pre-war resident, Mrs. Clive Backhouse, realised the value of native music many years ago and has a very comprehensive record of some of their melodies. All these re-discoveries are somewhat amus ing, really.

LET me be in on this plea for Territorian stamps (PIM, August, p. 50). More than once on this page have I advocated an issue of pictorial postage stamps, characteristic of the Territory.

Artist Bill Dobell could, with advan tage, get busy on the job. He appears to have the necessary entree in the right quarters.

Now that ways and means will probably come into the Adminis tration picture, as a result of the Menzies-Fadden pruning policy, the powers that be could very well con sider the financial advantage of issuing P-NG stamps. Something over £20,000 was netted from sales of the Coronation issue in 1937.

That’s only chicken-feed, I know, in these days, but it all counts. 1 NOTICE an advertiser in August PIM is in search of a present day Utopia. Having lived for years in Asiatic countries and be come fed-up “with their political and economic troubles,” he seeks now a tropic land “where law and order prevail and life is secure.” I should like his address if he ever achieves his desire.

ISAW recently where someone has the idea of having “conus” shells manufactured for the High land natives so they can stick a plastic substitute through their noses, as the genuine article is hard to come by these days.

I may be off the beam, but I seem to recall an old NG Ordinance which prohibits the importation of synthetic curios, shells, and so forth. There was a time when a well-known mission society, operat ing on the mainland of NG, had several cases of faked white cowrie shells (“manufactured in Ger many”) confiscated by the Customs.

That is a real protective measure on the part of the Administration to save the native from exploitation.

Years ago, in the BSI, it was a common practice for go-getting traders to sell artificial porpoise teeth to eager Malaita-men, who accepted them as the genuine article.

SO Margaret Mead returns to these parts and hopes to re visit New Guinea. She is cer tainly receiving a good Press in Sydney, comparable with Church and Legal dignitaries from Britain, who are attending Jubilee cele brations here. Some of the old timers from NG will remember her when she was up there with Dr.

Fortune and later with Gregory Bateson. She put in some good re search work in the Manus Group and up the Sepik, and certainly should be an authority on her sub ject of sociology. She is on a lecture tour of Australia for the New Education Fellowship Jubilee Education Conference, whatever that may represent, exactly.

ONE of Sweden’s top-line ornitho logists—Count Nils Gylden stolpe—is bound for NG to collect specimens and this time we should hear something of the re sults of his tour. A party of American ornithologists spent several years cruising around in “La France” collecting bird specimens and data and left shortly before the Pacific war broke out, but little has ever been heard of their work, though the Field Natural History Museum probably houses a most comprehensive collection of NG birds. Contrary to general belief, there are hundreds of bird varieties in the Islands, some migrating from as far away as Siberia.

Naturalist Hallstrom has the Count under his wing, so we’ll prob ably hear more about him and his wife, as time goes on.

ONCE again we read through the Australian Press that NG “should” be able to grow all the tea, coffee and cocoa required in Australia, Quite so. To say noth ing of all the spices and other pro ducts now imported from Java.

Malaya and East Indian countries.

But when are we going to start?

And what about existing tariff agreements with these other coun tries.

I MUST give “South Pacific” a pat on the back. It is the monthly journal published by the Aus tralian School of Pacific Adminis tration over at Mosman. In the past the articles dealt—for the most part—with other native countries under British control; but now there are several interesting contri butions on local NG matters, and some have a slightly controversial trend. If this policy continues the journal will likely- develop into something really good.