Magazine Section

No Longer Off

The Record

R. W. Robson

Examines

An Old

Letter-File

EVER since I established the Pacific Islands Monthly, in 1930, I have stored, in a locked cabinet, communications given to me “off the record.” That cabinet has been overflowing, for some time. To-day, I cleared it out.

Back to daylight has come a mass of material that had been forgot ten. Most of it now can be pub lished. Either the persons are dead, or the incidents disclosed do not matter any more.

James Larkin

Here are the original papers in the James Larkin case. James Larkin, a planter in Manus, New Guinea, was attacked by a cheeky native labourer, in 1931. In return, he gave the native a severe thrash ing. The native died—the cause was never proved—probably a “spleen case.” In Rabaul, on Novem ber 30, 1931, Larkin was convicted by Judge Wanliss of murder, and sentenced to 10 years’ hard labour.

In the proven circumstances, it was a really savage sentence. For two years, Larkin’s friends tried to get the case reviewed, but official dom would not move. In 1934, the PIM commenced an agitation. Offi cialdom still was aloof.

New Guinea men then subscribed some hundreds of pounds for the Larkin Defence Fund. We briefed counsel, engaged experts and, in January, 1935, circulated a petition, asking Administrator McNicoll to grant mercy to Larkin and remit the balance of sentence. It was numerously signed, and presented.

The late Judge Wanliss regarded the movement as a reflection upon dim, and resisted it with everything de had.

When officialdom saw the strength )f the plea for Larkin (I put in mormous work on the thing, and New Guinea civilians gave splendid support) Larkin’s friends were con ddentially informed that if they vould call off the PIM. Larkin vould be released.

A young woman whom Larkin was engaged to marry came to me and peremptorily ordered me to “lay «r*--she said she had seen certain OT’s, and had “arranged” Larkin’s ■elease. Naturally, I refused to fade )ut. Either officialdom would give in answer to the plea of the NG People; or we should take the case so the highest authority in Aus-

There was a bitter fight, under ground. Certain gentlemen, now dead, wanted the credit for releas ing Larkin; but I would not budge.

Larkin was released in 1935, and hurriedly shipped away with his bride to South America. He never said one word of thanks to me or the Committee for all the work we had put in on his case. But on the eve of his sailing, a solicitor, acting for the lady, demanded from me immediate payment to him of the balance, in my hands, of the Fund which had been subscribed for Larkin’s defence by the NG people.

We handed it over.

Charles Nordhoff

In 1938, the PIM had been direct ing attention to Jap war prepara tions throughout the Pacific. Writ ing to me on September 12, 1938, Charles Nordhoff, in Tahiti, said: “Europe, as I write, seems about to explode; yet I have an inner feeling that Hitler will end by taking what we call in the States ‘backwater,’ and there will be no war this year. If war comes, you may count on us the moment Japan raises her head.”

How right he was! Literally within a few days of that date, Chamberlain met Hitler at Munich, and the evil day was postponed.

In 1941, Japan “raised her head” —and America knocked it off.

Nordhoff also said: “My finances at present are not too bright, with several big children at school in California, and our old family ranch (50,000 acres) in Mexico ‘ex propriated,’ together with mines, oil-wells and God-knows-what, the property of people more important than ourselves. But don’t broad cast this—we have not yet given up hope.”

Nordhoff’s domestic set-up in Tahiti collapsed in ruin soon after that; and he later died in Cali fornia. James Norman Hall died a few months ago. The great literary partnership is now but a memory.

Most people now have forgotten “the great Mexican steal in 1938”; but it set the pattern for Persia at Abadan, and Egypt at the Suez Canal.

George Murray

A letter dated November 27, 1938, from dear old George Murray, the New Guinea Director of Agriculture,

reminds me he was among the hundreds of civilians sacrificed in Rabaul in January, 1942, by Can berra’s addle-pated officialdom.

I had asked Murray for a photo graph, for publication. He sent me a photograph of himself, as a young man, but forbade me to use it if I were going to publish also photo graphs of certain fellow-members of the Legislative Council, whom he named.

He was a mighty hater, was George Murray, and the things he says in this letter about his fellow- Councillors and about “corruption in Rabaul” almost blister the paper. One of them is still very much alive, so the letter remains “off the record.”

George Murray’s parents were pioneer missionaries in the Islands.

His grandmother’s cousin was the first missionary in the New Heb rides, about 1840. Another kinsman.

Dr. John Macgillivray, was a scien tist on HMS Fly and HMS Rattle snake, in the Pacific, over 100 years ago.

Prime Minister Lyons

Here is a letter dated April 10, 1933, and bearing the signature of J. A. Lyons, Prime Minister of Aus tralia.

Many people whose opinions I respected were alarmed, in 1933, by growing evidence of Nazi Germany’s determination to return to the Pacific and regain her “lost colonies.” Certain New Guinea in

The late George Murray as a young man

cidents had come under my notice which, added together, made rather an interesting picture.

I gathered up all the informa tion which I had and, under advice, submitted it to the Australian Prime Minister. This was his reply. He carried out, to the letter, his pro mise to examine the New Guinea situation very carefully.

Germany did not strike until 1939.

In the ensuing 6 h years, pro-German activities in New Guinea did not go unobserved. Personally, I was not much interested in what the Germans were doing—l was too busy trying to keep track of the penetration of the South Seas by the Japanese.

Sir Hubert Murray

Talking of Japan, here is a letter written to me from Port Moresby on November 29, 1938, (shortly after Munich) by Sir Hubert Murray, Lieut .-Governor of Papua; “We hear rumours of the whole Japanese fleet having been seen off the coast of New Guinea during the critical days of September last. I wonder if there is any truth in them.”

There was truth, indeed. But Sir Hubert did not live to see it proved—he was dead before the Japs invaded the Territories.

Dick Roche

A file inscribed “Dich Roche” is next to hand. These documents, dated around 1932, remind me that Mr. John Earnshaw, of North Sydney, and I tried very hard to learn something of the fate of Dick Roche, Bird-of-Paradise shooter, who disappeared in Dutch New Guinea before 1930. He had col lected a large quantity of priceless material in a series of diaries, writ ten in New Guinea; and, even if Dick were lost, we wanted his diaries. , , , But 20 years have passed, and not a trace of Roche has been dis covered.

Jack Hides

I find treasure in a dusty old file labelled “Hides,” with dates bet ween 1932 and 1935.

Here is the very first MS that young Patrol Officer Jack Hides sent me. It is an account of an extremely arduous patrol which he made in 1931, looking for the head waters of the Tiveri River. He got away over the Kratke Range, and down into the Watut Valley, behind Bulolo, and there he and his party, literally starving, blundered into the camp of the famous prospector, Baum. Three weeks after Hides left, Baum was murdered by the Kukukukus. I had completely for gotten this MSI —we shall publish it, one day soon.

Hides wrote this to me on November 11, 1934; “I leave in 10 or 11 days for the Strickland. I am taking 14 police —the pick of the veterans ... all are

eager, and splendid types. My carriers will be 25 convicts —all hill men from the N and NE Divisions — long-sentence men who for some years have been breaking stones, getting three good meals a day and being well-disciplined. Cortes may —or may not —have dragged ships across mountains to the lakes of Mexico; taut I know these men will drag me food and equipment across 300 miles of unknown Papua.

These are the men who are going to make my patrol possible; and, if I watch them, they will see me through.”

And they did see him through.

Nearly a year later, he came back to report his most successful patrol— penetration of that magnificent up lands country southwards of Mount Hagen. I saw some of it from the air last year, and I still wonder how young Hides, and Champion, and Karius, ever got through those mountain barriers.

Hides was a natural writer.

W. C. Groves

And here is another dusty old file inscribed “W. C. Groves.” When I started that file, the now sober and serious Director of Papua-N.

Guinea Education was then, exactly 19 years ago, a lusty and enthusias tic young education officer in the Kavieng district of New Ireland; and he wrote for me some of the most valuable comments on native life and conditions we ever had from that area.

I hope that “Bill”—at this moment a responsible Australian SP Commissioner at Noumea—will forgive me if I quote a little bit of unrecorded history which he wrote me in the last letter in the old file, dated February 14, 1934: “It is rumoured here in Rabaul that General Griffiths, for private reasons, desires to be released from his engagement (as Administrator), to leave New Guinea permanently at the end of June. In certain

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quarters, it is believed that he hi found the reconciliation of tl various clamant interests in tl Territory impossible, even to one < his patience, tact and administn tive experience.”

If I remember aright, that wi the first hint I received that tl best Administrator New Guinea ew had was being driven out by pet: official intrigues. And so it prove But the only thing that Tom Gri: fiths (dead long since) said himse about it was: “I will not tolera office-boy control.”

“Billy” Hughes

Does anyone remember the fiei invasion of New Guinea affairs I Australia’s everlasting “Bilb Hughes? I am reminded of tl incident when I turn up a copy of circular we sent to all our Morol readers on August 15, 1938.

“Billy,” briefly, was Minister f< Territories. Rabaul, in 1937, ha been more or less grilled in an erui tion, and a new capital had to I found. “Billy,” in a rush, ar nounced the selection of Salamar as the new capital, and the builc ing of a road “directly over tt mountains from Salamaua to Wau The PIM promptly circularised a Members of Parliament, pointir out that any attempt to build sue a road was lunacy—it must g around the mountains, via tt Buangs or the Markham.

This was reported to the Ne Guinea Mining Association as a attempt by the PIM to kill the roac and it called for a boycott of tt PIM. We replied by direct circuls that we were not attacking the roai but the route.

“Billy’s” selection of both capits and road were soon forgotten. Tc day, 13 years later, the Lae-Mark ham-Wau road, built by the mil: tary, is in constant use; and th once-busy port and airfield c Salamaua is completely deserted.

Carl Heine

This one brings many memorie It is a carbon copy of a letter ad dressed to Mr. Carl R. Heine, Micro nesian Mission, Jaluit, Marsha Islands, and it is dated Augus 1941.

Mr. Heine, a well-educated Ameri can missionary, was one of the bar half-dozen Europeans allowed b the Japanese to remain in th Marshalls. From time to time, h wrote very interesting little article for PIM about native life and condi tions.

In 1941, being certain that Japa: would attack, I was trying to hel; Intelligence by getting any availabl details of Jap installations in th Marshalls and Carolines; and I be thought me of Carl Heine.

So I wrote him a letter most arefully phrased. I inquired about is health, said we were associated Ith a fund for providing mission ries with furlough in a cool place, id suggested that we might be able » help him to furlough in Australia. remarked, incidentally, that I as sure there would be no war in le Pacific.

I do not suppose that letter ever ‘ached him. Only eight weeks Eter I wrote it, I was myself up in le Gilberts, and I found that the ipanese had completely closed rery channel of communication be veen the Gilberts and Micronesia, earl Harbour followed, almost im lediately.

I never heard again of Mr. Heine -I often wondered what became of im. Murdered, I suppose, like so lany of the Europeans in those olated islands.