Territories Talk-Talk

By Tolala

rms seems to be the season for Church dignitaries to be stick ing their necks out and —to nix metaphors—chewing off more han they can swallow.

On Australia Day, Sydney’s 3ean —Dr. Babbage (the doctorate s one of Philosophy, London)— aunched a tirade against Australia’s lative policy which was a “national candal and disgrace.” He quoted dinister Hasluck to support his ■ccusations and pulled no punches i referring to the manner in which Australia had “sinned against the borigines,” mentioning our Chris ian duty of reparation and re titution. He probably was talking i the usual ecclesiastical generali ies, but his sermon went over in big way at St. Andrew’s Cath dral and was called a “special itercession for the aborigines.”

The worthy Dean, who is a young [aorilander by birth, thus in urred the wrath of two seasoned itizens. One was Professor Elkin nd the other Michael Sawtell, a lember of the Aborigines Welfare card. Both showed they have aowledge far surpassing that of le Dean, where abo. conditions re concerned. Unfortunately, the can’s declamations had already rovided good ammunition for the iti-democratic forces, always gun ing for the NG administration, I may be wrong (I hope I am) it it does appear that many of icse self-appointed champions of -called native welfare are doing lot of shouting from the house ps merely for reasons of pub ;ity, to advance their own sec mal or political ends.

A letter comes from a New Britain ssid e n t concerning “Queen nma’s” surviving relatives—which mentioned in December PM, re

calling three in New Guinea. I missed out on a grand-nephew, A.

M. P. Uechtritz, who is at Sum Sum, so the writer tells me. (And, incidentally, since his writing, I believe his wife has had a son.

Congratulations!) He then men tlQns. Eddie Parkinson, “either in America °? in Germany,” and also E. P. Uechtritz in Germany, with two more relatives in NZ.” Thanks a lo t- But my special point was there were not many in New Guinea.

In NSW there are the descen dants of Queen Emma’s son (the late J. C. M. Forsayth) and in SA °y, vic - (I ’ m not sure which) an other nephew, the son of the Queen’s sister, Grace. :: :: tj -vrr>. , v, J 3O ? 11 ( ? eplet^d . m ui f nC A f p ‘ re palled fo L Padets , fo , r A ® an ? 20 ? aPP*ied cml Board will comb 164 ap- Phcants down to the required 30.

Salaries appear lavish, compared l^ pr £T/S ar days ’ when they re ceived £3OO a year. Youths of 18 commence on £528, rising to :: :: : • The claim by an “American- Swedish” banking syndicate for re cognition of some 5,000 square miles in or ° be f ? anted by tbe Imperial Government, is -* 0 .f ai ? se someone a head -18 r€C °g m sed. If my S^ ve l ar jS bt ’ every 9L e^s wh ° • la ?£ or rights °* any description in the old Ger man colony was prescribed, or ex propriated, in 1920 and 1921, and it would be surprising to find that the Waria Syndicate was not dealt with in this manner. H. R Wahlen who was a “prescribed person ” re

presented the syndicate. I remem ber hearing of dredging machinery being on its way to the Morobe District from Germany when war broke out in 1914, but it never arrived.

My tip is that the lease was can celled, for it was not put up for tender with other expropriated pro perties. Anyway, there will be some thumbing through old Custodian files.

I see that Director of Works Rooney calculates the new plan to rebuild Rabaul will run into a cool £5 million, and the job is supposed to take ten years. I wonder whether Rabaul will be such a picturesque town as it was when the Germans finished building it in 1910? The

NDL wharf was commenced in 1905 and stood the test of many years. Even after the disastrous fire in the early twenties it was still a sturdy structure; and from there a narrow gauge rail line ran along to the New Guinea Kompagnie bulk store, and to the Police Depot off the Namanula Road. There were no motor-lorries in those days, only the old “bulamakau carts” rumbling along the shady avenues. Every house was built to withstand the constant earth-tremors, and ward- F ob ? s , SJjL looked back to the waUs to prevent thei . r toppling over during the Qunas. • • * • • : And, talking of buildings, it always brings a smile to the older

settlers of NG to read of intending visitors to the tropics living in native houses. One such US matron recently received publicity in Syd ney papers because she was joining her husband “in the jungle of Dutch NG, where she will live in a bamboo house.” So what?. . .

Thirty years ago more women left Sydney for the Islands, where they lived in native houses, than you could count; but use of such a resi dence never caused any special comment. Why fuss about “bam boo houses,” as though it was an outstanding act of bravery or ad venture? Well constructed native houses—roomy and airy—are much preferable to the more modern fibro-cum-galvanised iron struc tures which are dubbed “European residences.”

My own experience has been that a good sac-sac roof, properly tied down against the Nor’west, and Sou’east busters, walls of river sac-sac (painted if you so desire) and for flooring, native timber or libug, with split libug for a cover ing. make a most excellent domi cile in the tropics—cool and com fortable and easily repaired at any time, for material is always avail able. I don’t like bamboo—the borers get in and create much dust.

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The idea of putting Common wealth Public Servants into the senior positions of the PNG Ser vice (Jan. PIM, p 15) seems a bit unfair to me, and is certainly not an incentive for NG Public Ser vants to put their heart in the job.

“Tony” Anthony, with his 26 years’ service, was certainly entitled to a trial. Perhaps the fact that he is a brother of Postmaster-General Anthony may have gone against him, or was it his conscientious work in the Public Service Associa tion that knocked him?

It’s a bad policy, this of keeping the plums of office for outsiders.

Phe only exception to the rule of exclusion seems to be F. H. Moy. vho is now Director of Native (Vffairs in NT—who seems to be loing a good job there, too, after lis eleven years in TNG.

The article about W. D. Pieris. )f Ceylon (Jan. PIM, p 45) made interesting reading, and he hits ;he nail on the head. I remem »er seeing palms in Ceylon yielding cwt. to the acre from palms over eventy years old; and yet TNG bought a ton to the hectare (2.4711 ,cres) was more than satisfactory rom palms of less than 30 years Id.

There has not been the same soil ertilisation in TNG as in Ceylon, ’oo much reliance has been placed n the natural richness of the oral-volcanic soil, and God and be sunshine have been left to laintain copra production. Not for etting, of course, the good turn tie 1937 eruption did to the New iritain palms eventually. I repeat, irentually.

Some of the NG plantings are now earing the 70-years mark.

In the German time, managers t Neu Guinea Kompagnie planta ons on the Gazelle Peninsula re vived from Germany casks of some lecial fertiliser for the palms, with istructions to treat certain areas id, after doing so, to mark the •unks of the palms. Some bright .err discovered the fertiliser was a excellent medium for cooling 3er and that was the end of the

»H fertilising—although, of course

ie palms were marked, according i instructions.

There is a Major-General Kirby Australia at present. His job is . record the history of the Pacific ar - He gave a very excellent talk er the air recently on Moral Re mament.

I agree with the General in most mgs, but he did say that the Japs id no intention of landing in Aus ilia and he quotes several official cords. That is as may be. But I member only too well being told

by a Japanese General in Rabaul, a few days after his landing there in 1942, that it would be a matter of only a few months before the Japanese army would be landing in Australia. And this idea was en dorsed by the rank and file, who were counting the days to when they would be looting Australian towns—and they were hoarding every bit of Australian money they could lay their hands on.

Their plan then was, I firmly believe, Port Moresby and then Australia.

The Scout Jamboree was a huge success and gave Australia plenty of opportunity to lower the colour barrier and create an entente cor

dale with all near-Eastern nations —including New Guinea, which is all over-worked a bit these days for political reasons. But the fea tured picture in the SMH (7.1.53) and reproduced in the PIM (Jan. p 18) of the Corrimal Scout Mis tress cutting the hair of “the Rabaul scout Sitangonei” was in particularly bad taste, according to my concepts. Publicity of frater nisations of this description is a bit premature: but people in Aus tralia are not able to appreciate that.

The whole trouble is the aver age white does not realise how the native mind functions in these matters. The white has not the foggiest conception of the tribal rites that are connected with hair

cutting, and of its varied signifi cance.

K, Pawson, of Tonga, writes about “Islands Mission Competi tion” (Jan. PIM, p 130) and there is much truth in what he says. I can speak only of NG, but there many of the natives are confused by the dogmas of the various sects and, in particular, by the obser vance of the Sabbath. One sect

designates Saturday, others the Sunday. When primitive natives are faced with this disagreement among the whites themselves, what can their opinion be? Such ques tions call for some co-ordination, in the interests of the native popu lation.

Lina Charlotte Mainka has gone to her rest. She passed away at the end of December, and will be

mourned by many old-time New Guinea-ites. She was a protege of Queen Emma, who met her in Sydney; and, shortly after her arrival in Rabaul, she married Herr Mainke, who was Postmaster. Des pite his official position, he was not “expropriated,” because he proved himself to be a Pole. They had a nice plantation at Londip for several years. Lina was a happy soul, and a grand hostess.

It is indeed reassuring to read that the Archbishop of Sydney, Dr.

Mowll, after having returned from Ceylon and Borneo, is quite sure Communism will not be adopted by the NG natives. He said this to newspaper men when he arrived back. The NG natives are quite happy, he said. Does Bishop Strong agree with him, I wonder.