Guinea

Native-Grown Rice Production In Papua-N.

Minister on Land Rights and European Settlement

WHEN he returned to Australia at the end of April from a visit to several Papua-New Guinea dis tricts—and especially the mainland regions embracing the Markham, Ramu and Sepik river systems, be tween Lae and the Dutch border— the Minister for Territories (Mr. Paul Hasluck) made some important statements about the agricultural de velopment of the Territories.

He said he had been “greatly im pressed” with the way the native village communities were becoming interested in the growing of new crops —especially rice—and the use of implements and processing machines. The Administration would give every encouragement and active help to this and allied projects.

Rice production in native villages for local use could expand over the next few years from a few hundred tons a year to some thousands of tons, said the Minister.

At present Papua-New Guinea made an annual demand on Australia for roughly 15.000 tons of milled

rice, chiefly for native labour. The first target would be to meet local needs from local supplies in various districts. With increased production, the village people would eat more rice themselves. Incidentally, the re lationship of the new crop to native health was already discernible in the bright appearance of the people in the rice-growing and rice-eating villages.

While the importance of village agriculture was great, it could not alone meet all the opportunities for

agricultural development in New Guinea. He was looking to the in dividual settler and the big planta tion companies for a substantial contribution of capital, enterprise and work to increase production.

Over years, the Territorial Depart ment of Agriculture had gained a considerable knowledge of what would grow, and how; and this in formation was freely available. The Department was beginning to pro duce larger quantities of seed and other planting material. This year, Garaina agricultural station had dis tributed hundreds of pounds weight of tea seed and thousands of tea plants were available from imported seed.

Seed and planting material for rubber, fibre crops, coffee, cocoa and

rice were being provided. The Department, as circumstances warranted, would provide specialist staff to help promote particular For example, he had approved the calling of applications for 13 technical and scientific officers whose principal duties would be in relation to the establishment of a fibre industry.

He had been greatly encouraged to find that some sections of private enterprise were ready to join with the Government in the pioneering stages of this work He hoped to see this spirit ot selt nelp extend, tor example, to the development of machinery for cultivation and pro cessing best suited to the Territory.

Available Land

Land was the key to agricultural development. The land policy of the Government, which fully recognised the rights and interests of the natives and safeguarded those rights and in terests by strict rules regarding land acquisition, was well known and would not be varied.

There were, however, areas of waste land unclaimed by natives, other land unwanted by them and unnecessary to their needs, which could be bought from the native owners subject to the statutory safe guards, as well as some lands al ready owned by the Crown.

After some disappointing delays, due to the difficulty of finding quali fied personnel, earlier decisions in tended to make land available were now being put into administrative effect, A Land Titles Commissioner and a Native Lands Commission were beginning to function as statu tory bodies, and a Land Settlement Board had been created administra tively in the Territory.

The Minister repeated that the policy of protecting native interests, both present and future, would be strictly observed but, consonant with that policy, the occupation and the use of land by Australians would be facilitated. This was in the interests of the native as well as the Euro

pean, and was an essential part of the process of the advancement of the native people, the widening of their standards of living.

Insofar as development added to their opportunities and the raising of the income of the Territory, it would also help to sustain the very great social expenditures that would be ne cessary on behalf of the natives in the coming years.

On his tour the Minister (who was accompanied by Mr. D. M. Cleland, Assistant Administrator) personally inspected various areas in the Mark ham Valley, the Ramu Valley and the Sepik. He stated that, in general, policy would be to try to open up those unused lands, already known to be suitable for commercial crops, to which access by road or sea could be given within a reasonable time.

Besides the areas mentioned he had, on previous visits, seen other areas which could meet this requirement.