Papuans

Inducing Native

To Grow Rice

From Our Own Correspondent

P. Moresby. Nov. 30.

TERRITORY rice production was back in the news during November, when figures be came available on the 1951 Mekeo rice crop, ; Total government plantings and Government-sponsored native rice areas amounted to 272 acres, which yielded 175 tons. The Government crop was grown at the Epo Experi mental Station, where 132 acres produced 80 tons.

The Government-sponsored crops were raised by two Native Rural Progress Societies, which put in a combined acreage of 140, and har vested 95 tons.

The great bulk of this was handled by machinery, both for sowing and harvesting; and the sys tem is that the Native Societies have the work done on a contract basis by Government machinery, worked under Departmental super vision; and the hire costs and operating expenses are recovered from the native growers when the harvest is gathered.

The critic, of course, immediately isks what happens when the crop

fails, if it should fail. Who, then, pays the piper? Also, are the charges levied against the crop suffi cient to cover the very heavy over head of the Mekeo rice experiments? !For instance, last season a worthy attempt to raise extra rice for Mt.

Lamington evacuee food require ments was frustrated when nearly 200 acres of young crop was washed out by flood. Now if the flood had washed out the Progress Societies' crops instead of the Government acreage, who would have paid those seed and sowing costs?

But perhaps it is not entirely logical to want a balanced account ing on the Mekeo venture; for cer tainly, if enthusiastic agricultural officers can persuade the wily Mekeos to get within a stone’s throw of honest work, and stick at it as a pattern for the rising genera tion, that certainly would be worth something to the Government.

There has been a lot of criticism of the Mekeo agricultural experi ments. To a large extent the Ad ministration has brought this on its own head by lack of factual infor mation on the venture. Because no statements have been made on the cost of producing the rice grown in the Mekeo, fantastic rumours have put the figure at almost so much per grain rather than per pound.

Idealism is an essential factor in

the none-too-promising attempt to

lead the Mekeo races into the path

<pf thrifty husbandry and consistent industry; but equally essential is realism in regard to the costs on the financial side.

Maybe the Mekeos do need all kinds of expensive machinery, to be coaxed into assuming the role of rice farmers. But at Amele, near

Madang, and Dagua, 30 miles from Wewak, native style production, with hand tools and back-bending, has produced some very tidy little crops.

Undoubtedly there is a happy medium between grubbing around with little more than a digging stick, and riding aloft on high

priced machinery; but there is no doubt which will stand the test of profit and loss on operations.

It might be an idea to have a little less machinery in the Mekeo and a little more in the other centres.

Anyway, the Mekeo venture will continue to be under suspicion by

the general public until some c the mystery about its cost is dis pelled.