New Administration Faces

Muddled Conditions In Solomons

By R. W. Robson

£ authority responsible for the future good government of the British Solomon Islands — ver he may be —should lose ime in making a close survey cal conditions. ere are indications that, under administration, both the >mic and political situations got somewhat out of hand, acting from Socialist concep of government organisation, rected from London until the of 1951, the BSI set-up has tie expensively over-staffed; , partly as a result of the same mces, the natives have become headed” and insolent, and attitude towards Europeans— ially non-official Europeans— jreasingly objectionable. ?re are only 100,000 natives in Solomons and, until the archi o was over-run by American :emen in World War 11, they easily controlled, and the -native relationship was good. ; easy familiarity of the corn troops towards primitive es caused trouble everywhere e Pacific, and this was marked b Solomons. Once the war was the situation called for wise very firm handling, especially sort of nationalistic, anti-white nent appeared and was de ed as the Marching Rule Move . But, after the war, wisdom irmness have been rather con ously lacking. . Noel, as Resident Commis r, did a commendable job; but, from that, wrong people have sent to the Group, to do the g things, in the wrong way. If it communications from re ;ible, non-official people are ndication, the situation in BSI ig 1951 deteriorated steadily. ve think the circumstances de and it, we of the PIM do not e words. On occasion, we have some unpleasant things about d or inefficient officials, and >ut apologies. As a result, e with grievances against aldom often ask us to publish ks on particular people; and isually find, on inquiry, that * is quite another side to the Administrative officials rally discharge their onerous s under difficult conditions; more often than not, there is reason for acts by them which, ic surface, appear arbitrary and sive. erefore, during 1951, while the ne of criticism rose in relation

to BSI affairs, we generally kept silent. Of all the South Pacific Territories, the Solomons Protec torate and Gilbert and Ellice Colony best deserve the description of being “out on the end of a limb.”

In an administrative sense, they are very isolated. It is difficult to learn what is going on. It is not wise to make hasty judgments.

Furthermore, in relation to boih Groups, a big administrative change has been pending. From now on, the two archipelagoes will have a Governor (still called High Commissioner) of their own, in stead of being completely depen dent on the Governor of Fiji.

For that reason, little was to be gained by giving undue publicity to the apparent shortcomings of a dying regime.

BUT it is desirable, now, to offer some home truths to the in coming administration. If the British Solomon Islands (that “Cindrella group’ ) are in the future to make any real progress towards self-government, and economic de velopment and self-support, some marked changes must b£ made in the Administration’s handling of the natives, and in its attitude towards private enterprise.

It would appear that too many of

the BSI officials in recent years have expressed, in pampering of the natives, and hostility to private en terprise, their interpretation pf the

British Socialist Government’s alti tude toward subject peoples. This is not the place to examine the Attlee Government’s policy in relation to “colonialism”; but the lamentable result of six years' operation of that policy is all too apparent to-day throughout a demoralised British Empire.

Following is an extract from a

letter from a BSI planter—a quiet and responsible man finally has been driven by official pin-pricking to angry protest.

He cites various examples of official indifference to the planters’ problems, and of the insolence and insubordination of labour, and proceeds.

“The engine-boy, when spoken to about

it, said, ‘I don’t want to work f So-and-so white man,’ and left the si another example of their attitude believe me, it is general, and encoun “One does not lay a charge, because Government favours the native tro maker, and the white man is mad look a fool. If one takes the law one’s own hands—which I think Government hopes will happen—a di tation order would be forthcoming. ‘TTt is* a positive fact that these n people are becoming more hostile, cheekier, and we find it very har know what to do.

“I believe the Government’s moth to try and force the European pla out of the group altogether; that been obvious since 1945, and some offl have openly indicated it to me. . . would enlighten you to watch the insi attitude of the average boy doing a One dare not raise one’s hand or a or out he goes. We boll, but do not!

The RC thinks they are ‘a delight lazy people.’ . . . The political ai Socialistic, and the Government cl resents people like us. It is not common to hear some residents des the Government as anti-British.”

The writer goes on to cite rr incidents to show the relations tween the Administration, the w

planters, the Chinese traders

the natives; and an over-all rea< of such incidents does suggest 1

a far-reaching inquiry over

whole field of BSI governmen needed.

SOONER or later, the adminis tion of the Solomons and British side of the New Hebr will become an Australian resp

ity. There are several reasons this; and the biggest—sufficient iment in itself, ignoring all rs—is the map of the Pacific, se two groups are a vital part le ring of Islands outposts which ect Australia against Asia, dications were, not long ago, BSI and NH would go to Aus a. But the present Australian srnment thinks that the present of administering Papua-New lea—at least £6,000,000 p.a.—is mch as it can stand at present, new High Commissioner for the tern Pacific will settle himself in Honiara. It will be inter ig to see what happens, then, [ministration of the Gilbert and e Colony is a sinecure. No de jment and little alteration is ible in that economically use chain of pretty little atolls, velopment is possible on a big i in the New Hebrides; but the sh there, for so long, have jndered all enterprise and itive to the French that little ge there is possible without ing considerable social and ical trouble. the new WPHC is to show any

igth, virility and imagination

ir the new set-up, those quali must be exercised in the Solo 5, where there is abundant 3 for them. There is no reason this huge and rich archipel instead of being merely the ispicuous home of a few spoiled res, a handful of very dis iged and frustrated Europeans, a cynical community of tran- British officials, should be developed on a huge scale, [ual New Guinea, Fiji, and New ionia in economic importance, t, if anything is to be done, in >rthwhile way, the new set-up have to wipe clean the sadly iled slate in Honiara. In fact, ght "wipe” Honiara, whicn was initial error of the blundering 5h Administration of the post period. ie engagement has been an iced of Miss Margaret Anne ien of Brisbane to Mr. Timothy s Ryan, only son of Mr. and T. D. Ryan, formerly of Port ;sby, Papua, now of Brisbane, and Mrs. Ryan Snr. are now % in retirement but at one time ;d and ran the Papua Hotel later the old Hotel Moresby. ie use of bamboo in the con ;tion of light aircraft is being ed by the Philippine Institute cience and Technology. Pre lary research indicates that a n bamboo material, known as *x, is a promising substitute for pod. It is more elastic and iger than plywood.

Mr. D. Treeby, chief traffic officer of Mandated Airlines Ltd,, Lae, New Guinea, and Mrs. Treeby returned to Lae after Australian leave in February.

Mrs. H. H. Page and Mrs. U.

Adams, well-known Territorians, left Sydney on the Stratheden in early March for an extended holiday in the UK and Europe. Both lost their husbands in the Montevideo Manx disaster and are greatly

respected members of the NG Women’s Club of Sydney, of which they were president and treasurer respectively during the war years.

Captain Charles Williams, former owner of the luxury yacht Seaward (now owned by Miss Chin Foo, of Papeete, and trading as a schooner in French Oceania), has settled down in Brownsville, Texas. He purchased a motor business on his return from Tahiti.