Territories Talk-Talk
pp. 25-27 · Read in the full issue
By Tolala
T’S good to hear, at long last, that the Territory is to have its own postage stamps again, ’ter years of being saddled with le unbeautiful Australian stamps, i the list of proposed issues I see ) mention of a special air mail amp. There is bound to be a arid demand, especially for the •st issue; let us hope that there ill be enough to go round, for eryone, and not just a favoured w. They will be a good money inner as well as helping to put e Territory on the map.
Latest official figures of the num r of natives employed in P-NG ow a considerable decline from e pre-war statistics, and the drop r the three months (October ;cember, 1951) was about 4,000. ; the end of December, 1951. the tal was 49,948, of which 16,001 *re employed in Papua and 33,947 NG, an overall decrease of 10.000 )rkers. At June 30, 1951, the TNG :ure was 34,419. That does not und good for a country striving register progress. Or is there effort to impress the UNO sticky aks?
Frustration section: As I finished ading about Charles Booth and 3 timber from Morobe in the bruary “Do You Remember,” I ;ked up a Sydney morning paper, be confronted with banner adlines concerning the Prime nister’s announcement of a 50ars plan to harvest 500 million . of NG timber off the 40,000 re forest at Bulolo. One and the ne area, no doubt, that had been mned by Charles back in 1926. would be interesting to know tat happened to his application, iuppose that is what vou call the ;k of the game. [ like the little cover-un for the ification of the UNO gentlemen, to are apt to look sideways at :h “exploitation.” Says Mr. Man si “This will be an important ;tor in advancing the economic d general welfare of the native labitants.” rhat phrase is characteristic of :ry Canberra announcement about i Territory. There must always a blah-blah paragraph about tive welfare, Don Barrett, MLC for the NG ands, made a sensible suggestion the last Council meeting con ning the location of the School Pacific Administration. He d training of the officers should
take place in the Territory, instead of in Sydney). It would be a good idea if every officer had to spend six months on a non-Government plantation as an overseer, in order to appreciate the “other fellow’s” position in the Territorial scheme of things. It might make some of them a bit more human. It would, at least, broaden their minds.
An inquiry into Customs policy in P-NG is mooted by Minister Hasluck. I should like to know how an Australian Territory and a Trustee Territory cnn share the same Customs tariff, bearing in mind the fact that no discrimina tion can be made to any member countries of UNO by a Trustee Territory. We may hear all about it later on. (Continued on Page 25)
Ton-official members of P-NG flslative Council are complain of insufficient time allowed m to study bills before they are ught before Council. TNG had ctly the same trouble in pre r days. There were times when s were handed round in the imber only an hour or so before ig introduced. Canberra had t them up at the last moment. ; what can an Opposition do? am glad there is some talk of i-official members organising mselves in some way. Thus they have a greater influence on official members and be less “rubber stamps,” as E. A. res described them. Assistant ninistrator Cleland’s defence of Administration’s methods was convincing. % •nee again the fate of Rabaul jeing discussed. It is only 14i rs since they first started talk about shifting the place, so re should be no impatience. Not :h! If residents of Rabaul were give the government an under ing to make no claims for com sation in the event of eruption rage some finality might be shed. nyway, Mr. Jimmy Duncan, the ler of Rapopo (the possible new for the town), doesn’t seem to worrying one way or the other, sailed for Bonnie Scotland re tly, accompanied by his wife, >m everyone esteems as “Auntie n.” he TNG report for the UNO as lune 30, 1951, contains the state it that medical patrols treated 61 natives. That might sound ot, but in 1938-39 the number ited by European patrolling :ers of the PHD totalled 52,843. actions of NAB alone were given 67 natives. Hospitalization (in I out patients) totalled 30,203. so bad, after all, for the B 4 iod. omparisons are odious. I know, they often show how the wind vs. Incidentally, I notice in the le statistics that TNG, at the of June last year, had 111 local [ foreign companies. That is an :ease of exactly two since 1939! . To-day TNG has an adverse ie balance of £750,000, In 193 ft, orts exceeded imports by 19,918. There is food for thought re. lalekula, the new 4,000-tonner BP, has completed its trials in th of Clyde. It is hoped that will be on the New Hebrides omon Islands run by May. It s not carry the true BP name, ording to ancient custom, for has eight letters in its name.
All the old islanders started with M and had only seven letters.
Judging by the debates in the House at Canberra at the end of last month, Manus appears to be the skeleton in the cupboard of both parties. Alleged that some papers are missing from an impor tant file. Add the agitation for an inquiry over the Fall of Rabaul— which is being consistently side stepped—and TNG seems to be a headache in more ways than one to Canberra.
Senator Roy Kendall, back from a trip to the Territory, cut loose with some outspoken criticism of
conditions up north, at a Govern ment Party meeting at Canberra towards the end of last month.
He did not blame Minister Has luck, but put the blame for wreck ing the economy of the Territory and hindering its development on the Moresby Administration.
The Minister defended the policy of the Administration; but it is quite possible that Roy Kendall may eventually succeed in getting Canberra to take a realistic view of conditions as they are.
The Rev. F. C. Bastian, who has been on leave in Australia from the Anglican Mission in Tonga, will be unable to return, owing to ill health.