Legislative Council

Revealing Debates In P-Ng

THE Legislative Council of Papua-

New Guinea commenced its second session for 1952 on October 6. and sittings ran into a second week. During the session, several new' bills were introduced and the estimates for 1952-53 tabled. Mem

bers discussed subjects ranging from

rubber production to a local state lottery. Some points of interest to all Territorians were that:— • The Administration will have somewhat more to spend in ’52-53

ban in ’5l-52;

• The Administration confidently

;xpects the new Moresby brewery

[which has not yet commenced to

ell beer commercially) to provide

;xcise revenue of £lO,OOO p.a. • Works carried out by the De triment of W. & H. for the Administration are subject to a cost dus charge on labour of over 41 ►er cent. • Taxation (all indirect) has mounted to £9O per head for every European man, woman and child in

be Territory.

• Drinks and smokes will be

earer—spirits by 1/2 a bottle, beer

y about 1/- a dozen bottles, tobacco y about 2d per ounce and a 50-tin

f cigarettes by 41d.

Estimates For 1952-53

P-NG Treasurer, Mr. H. H. Reeve, ibled the estimates for the current year, otal expenditure is expected to be 7,697,400. The Commonwealth will pro de. by way of grants. £5.470,000 £170,000 more than last year); and venue collected within the Territory will ! £*227,000.

Two biggest allocations go to Public talth—£l,426,ooo, which is about £40,000 ss than last year; and Works, Services, c., which will have well over £325,000 ore to spend than in 1951-52.

The following departments received in eased allocations Administrator’s, easnry, Agriculture. Lands, Crown Law, orks and Forests. But the Government cretary’s Department. District Services, lucation, Customs, Marine, General aintenance will have to make do on »aller budgets.

Revenue

Vlr. Reeve expects that import cuts II reduce Customs revenue in the coming »r from about £1,580.000 to £1,483.000. the same time, export duties will obably bring In less, due to falling Ices of commodities such as rubber hich has now sunk below the price ere an export tax is levied). It is ?ected also that when the MOF Copra reement is reviewed in January, the

price of copra will fall by 10 per cent but increased production in 1952-53 will probably counter-balance the effect on revenue. “Revenue from excise duty on locally brewed beer,” said Mr. Reeve.

“can be estimated at £10,000”.

Excise was fixed at 3/6 a gallon for locally brewed beer—Mr. T. Grahamslaw, who introduced the Bill, said that this was 1/6 a gallon less than the duty on imported beer and should afford adequate encouragement to the local industry.

The Treasury confidently expects that P-NG’s new stamp issue will yield an extra £40,000 of postal revenue this year.

bringing’ it to about £lOO,OOO. Licence fees of various sorts will bring in £4-J,OOO.

More money is expected also from gold royalties and telephone rentals.

Burden On European Community

In the debate that followed the tabling of the estimates. Mr. E. A. James, elected member for Papua, said that it was time the Administration stopped carrying out its projects at such times and in such circumstances as best suited the Commonwealth’s purse, and made a 10-years plan for steady development. He thought that too much expenditure was haphazard and unplanned, and too little was spent on things that mattered. He suggested that the Administration should raise a loan within the Territory to carry out essential works. Mr. James suggested

also that it might not be a bad thing ill a lottery were run for revenue pur poses—this would retain the many thousands that now went out of the Territory annually to Australian lotteries; The Rev. D. E. Ure was strongly opposed to the idea.

Mr. James said that the greatei proportion of the revenue raised inside the Territory came from the European community—they provided something like £9O per head which actually was a higher per capita taxation than in Australia where numerous social services were pro vided for.

Native War Damage

Mr. J. K. McCarthy, District Commis sioner Rabaul, defended war damage compensation to natives and the methods of assessment when both were attacked by several unofficial members of the Council. He said that adequate measures were taken to guard against false claims and.foolish spending, and that the natives were already helping themselves to the education and social benefits upon which; some members felt the Administration should have spent native war damage money.

Mr. H. H. Reeve (Treasurer) said thali over £9,000,000 had been paid to Euro peans for war damage. No one questioned! how they should spend it, although some of the money undoubtedly had been “mis applied”.

Native Development—And Native!

Recruiters

Slmogun, native member for NG Main land, who speaks only Pidgin and has an interpreter, said that considerable trouble was caused in his district bjn native recruiters who made false promises to prospective labourers by telling theme that they could earn up to £8 per week..

He said he wanted only European; recruiters in his district. He was anxious also that native development) should be speeded up—if not by thea natives voluntarily, then by compulsion..

Mr. D. Barrett (New Guinea Islands)( supported him—if voluntary efforts did! not have the desired effect “a little gentles persuasion should be used”.

Simogun said that many natives of the) Sepik were anxious to play a part inc the agricultural development of the) country—they wanted to buy tractors andc agricultural implements for rice-planting, etc., and some villages had already sub scribed considerable amounts. However,' their trouble was lack of skilledf mechanics?. and there were no skilled! mechanics because there were no techni cal schools. He said that roads also were necessary and that District Service* should organise the agricultural develop ment of the districts—deciding what) should be planted and where—and seeing® that the projects were carried out. “En forcement would be of real andE lasting benefit to my people”,

Cost Of W. & H. Labour

In reply to questions by Mr, D. Barrett,,.

Treasurer Reeve said 41-2/3 per cent., was? added to labour costs by the Department!

tt Works on jobs performed for the Administration. This percentage covered eturn fares to mainland and three weeks’ toliday pay per year; an average of two reeks’ sick pay per man per year; ravelling time, workers’ compensation and »n average of one week wet-weather pay -these items represented 25 per cent, of he charges and the other 16-2/3 went in »sses on messes.

The Works Department also charged for •lant hire, 20 per cent, on cost of all aaterials, and 6 per cent, on the final ost of the job as a supervision fee,

Air Services Subsidy

Subsidies paid by the Administration for lantas flying-boat services in Papua, New ritain and Bougainville will jump from ! 18,000 in 1951-52 to £75,000 in 1952-53. he increase has been agreed to by egotiation in Australia. Reason given by le Treasurer (Mr. Reeve) for the steep icrease was that the Catalinas formerly sed had to be replaced by Sandringhams.

Other Business

Bills introduced and debated were the seise (Beer) Ordinance Bill which pro ides for the collection of excise on beer rewed locally, and licence fees for •eweries; Motor Vehicles Third Party isurance Bill; the Copra Bill, which aims raise the standard of P-NG copra id to licence copra dealers; a Bill to nend the 1946 Trading with Natives rdinance, an Education Bill, providing r inspectors to visit mission schools, id a Bill controlling the sale of drugs id poisons.