BSI and Papua-NGuinea

Australian Writer Critical of BSI and Papua-NGuinea

|F all the daily newspaper f journalists who have visited the Pacific Islands since the ir ended—and they are beyond unt—the only one who has suc eded in getting the Islands prob ns into focus, and has written out them in an interesting and ilpful manner, is Mr. Osmar hite, of the Melbourne Herald.

Mr. White has just concluded a ur of the New Hebrides, Solomons d Papua-New Guinea, and the [lowing (Melbourne Herald, July ) are his conclusions respecting momic conditions he investigated, le old residents of the Territories low how right he is! 3LANDS economy to-day would be as dead as Queen Anne if it were not for the fantastic copra om. Copra commands five or six ties the price it did in 1939—and yone who has had courage to go ck to plantations that survived 3 ruin and neglect of war years is rning high profits.

But, at the commercial level any way, no attention whatever is being paid to any other of the region’s resources. No serious effort is being made to revive or develop alter native industries. If copra were to crash, nothing would be left but a few settlements inhabited by civil servants.

The planters themsedves are very well aware of the danger. They are

cleaning up the profits while the going is good, and are prepared to* make a clean break when the crash comes. Few areas are being planted with new trees, and management is often on a strictly short term basis.

All this hasn’t happened by ac cident. True, the war left tragic confusion in its wake—but people were prepared to go back and build

up again if they had received any real encouragement to do so.

THEY were not encouraged. The politicians of both Britain and Australia suffered, apparently, a fine sentimental revulsion from old-fashioned colonialism. They cashed in on liberal sentiment with slogans like “Papua for the Papuans,” and set up international bodies to study how stone-age people could most effectively be educated to govern and look after themselves in the atomic age.

Morally, the intention was laud able, for the history of European colonisation of the Pacific is black with ruthless exploitation and abuse of human rights.

But, as so often happens, the re formers went far beyond the bounds of practical common sense. In seek ing to protect the native against the villainous “black-birder,” and exploiter, they created a situation infinitely more dangerous in its future implications.

Neither Britain nor Australia can afford to run their Pacific depen dencies as anthropological charities.

The resources of the area must be tapped to pay for the social services needed to improve the condition of several million people, many of whom still practise cannibalism and sorcery.

Unless efficient and profitable in dustries can be established to pay for really large-scale health and

educational services, the efforts of the benevolently minded Governments must be limited to what will be, in effect, small-scale experimental work.

Y et as I have said the effect of present colonial policy is to discourage European enterprise.

To-day it is a long, tedious and difficult business for any European western Paciflc fT is even more tedious and diffi-

1 profitably 111 The system rfln-

dentures has y been abolished, and natives can be engaged only for short terms. In effect, they can employment at will. in theory this may seem only fair. 11 is thelr land and their labour - But in practice? Is it wise in this modern world to try to lock up vast areas of forests and arable land because they happen to be the tribal huntin S grounds of S n iAtSe^Vcaso V n

thiv ran S n<? n?th?

loin maKe use 01 me iana rnemseives.

What about the human rights of the Asians next door? Hundreds of millions of them drag out a miserable existence on the edge of famine for want of living room or access to new sources of food supply.

And on the subject of native labour laws—even the most ideal istic young Government officer soon learns that Melanesians are by temperament an easy-going, in dolent, child-like people. They work only when they have to.

They are undoubtedly intelligent and teachable—but they will make prolonged effort only under dis are a poor employment risk unless

*** t 0 COntrol

rpßUE, free and compulsory school 1 education may alter this tem perament in time. But does it

»e«n to'be^We"

tirnp whpn thprp nrp miilinns nf people onfy a few hunted miles away who already have the skill and temperament to turn the swamps of the Solomons and New Guinea into padi fields, and the kunai downs into pastures?

All this is of vital »“Portance to Australia. National security de mands that we should continue to exercise a predominant influence in the island territories to the north and east of us. We can't exercise it unless we have a healthy econcmic interest as well as ad ministrative representation in the area.