N. Guinea

Status Of Chinese In

Plea for Clarification

A STRONG plea that the Aus tralian Government should clearly define the status and, if possible, indicate the future of the Chinese people in New Guinea was made at the May meeting of the P-NG Legislative Council by Mr. D.

Barrett, of Rabaul.

It was pointed out that there are now between 2,000 and 3,000 Chinese in New Guinea; that at least 700 Chinese children now are attend ing schools in the Rabaul area; that these children, and very many more beyond school age, who had been born in the Territory, have the status of “Australian Protected Persons”; that scores of young Chinese are sent from New Guinea to be educated in Australia, where they have equal status with Euro peans; but that, when they return to New Guinea, their status is not clearly defined, and they often are not treated as the equals of Euro peans.

Mr. Barrett praised the qualities of citizenship of the New Guinea Chinese. He urged that Australia should ensure their good service and loyalty, as future residents of New Guinea, by defining their status. He advocated the inaugura tion of a land settlement plan for

young Chinese, and that the apprenticeship system, under which young natives are taught trades, should be extended to the Asians.

On the same subject, Mr. Salin (native representative from New Ireland) presented another angle.

He pointed out that in New Ireland there were many coconut planta tions, apparently abandoned. He

had asked the Administration to permit the native co-operatives to work those plantations, while thed were thus idle, so that the villages could get the benefit of the copray but the Administration had ignored] his letter.

Now, said Mr. Salin, half ihq plantations on New Ireland, include ing two big ones, were owned

« Chinese, and the Chinese mership of plantations was being tended. The natives had fought ainst the Japanese during che ir, but the Chinese had not cared : raise a hand against the enemy. considered that in this connec m the natives had been treated

ry unfairly.

Jssion Estimate Of Chinese

IHE following are extracts from an article by Rev. A. A.

Whimpey, in the Methodist ssionary Review of May, 1953: Sefore World War 1, when New .inea was a German Colony, iinese were brought to Rabaul as lentured labourers, just as Indian »ourers were taken to Fiji. In 18, however, New Guinea came der the jurisdiction of Australia; :i no more Chinese labourers were •ught to Rabaul. Those brought re by the Germans, and still there 1914, were not sent back to China, eir number has increased since 4 from about 400 to over 2,500. luring World War 11, Rabaul was ipletely devastated. After the the temporary authority, GAU, established the Chinese at south end of Rabaul, where they It makeshift homes of old corru ed iron, arc mesh, and bush her, with floors of natural earth, ny still are crowded together in n conditions, with the children ying in the unmade streets; and out of these unpretentious ries there comes a charming set young people; the young women

Jht, happy, and beautifully

ssed, usually in western frocks, I the young men reserved and ustrious. he impact of the West upon the nese of Rabaul is very strong, the local Administration school most important teachers are n Australia, and they follow the jensland school curriculum. The Idren are urged to speak only ;hsh while they are at school, rt from half an hour a week ;n they learn Chinese reading writing. Very few of the chil i can read Chinese well before 7 leave school. bout thirty or forty young nese go to Australia each year further education, and these be ie a strong Westernising influ e in the town. srhaps the most important and most dangerous influence is the lern dance hall and the theatre.

Chinese have not been accus ed to the easy familiarity be m the sexes that these pastimes mrage. Before the war Chinese seldom went out at night; but, , some are seldom home. There ilways the danger that a new xicatmg freedom will be allowed run to licence and we, as a irch, must give Chinese youth opportunity of enjoying whole e social intercourse in our clubs societies.