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Mr. Hasluck!

Planter Rep’s Stinging Answer To Official Reproach

THE condensed version of a statement by Mr. Paul Hasluck, wherein the Australian Min ister sharply reproved New Guinea residents for not taking a keener and more practical interest in Territories affairs, was not kindly received by the older unofficial people. Their viewpoint was ex pressed by Mr. Carl Jacobsen, Lae’s elected member, at the Legislative Council, on July 27.

Mr. Jacobsen said the Minister would have been more helpful if he had been more specific and ex plained wherein the people had failed. In the past, Territorians had not only helped themselves, and endeavoured to develop their country without Australia’s financial and other help, but also they had materially—and unselfishly—assisted Australia, in a practical and valu able manner, when the Japanese invasion threatened Australia.

These Trust Territory problems began when Australia took a be lated interest in Territory Admin istration problems after World War 11, said Mr. Jacobsen. “A well thrown boomerang returns to the thrower. .1 would like the boomerang, on its return trip, to convey to the Minister the fact that civic apathy—if any—may be blamed on the worse apathy shown by the Australian Government, in its delay in implementing an over all plan for Territory development.”

He heartily agreed with the Min ister’s statement that Territorians should “look after their own affairs, accept some of the burdens of public responsibility, and shoulder the task of managing the public affairs of their own towns and dis tricts”—but only when development and greater population warrant it.

A large percentage of the Euro pean population were Government employees. This transient popula tion was not in any one district long enough to take an interest in the civic affairs. In any case, there was not a town in the Territory at present which could finance its own local government.

When development and unofficial population reached proportions to enable them to handle local gov ernment, sufficient civic-minded men and women readily come forward to do their civic duty.

Much development had taken place under the present Govern ment; but still more could be done; Australia should realise that it owes a duty to its European population, as well as to the indigenous in habitants of the Territory.

“To my mind, agricultural de velopment will provide the future

backbone of Territory finance. To achieve this objective, Australia must grant this Territory much more finance, if its desire for such a development is sincere, and if it expects to hold the Territory.

“We do not ask for a gift of £35,000,000, such as was given the Colombo Plan. All we ask is a loan in the form of some Rural Credit Scheme, which will enable planters and farmers to take their part in agricultural production, as it is from this source that most of our future revenue should be derived.

The present Administration has made land much easier to acquire than hitherto—but very few people have the finance necessary to take advantage of land availability. In

my area we have many young men with the necessary qualifications, de sirous of going on the land, but they have not the finance to do this—particularly when the clear ing of rain-forest country costs from £B5 to £lOO per acre.”

Visiting Senators, Ministers, and Members of Parliament had stressed the necessity for the establishment of a rural credit scheme—and noth ing more was heard of it. If the Australian Government does not propose to take any notice of their opinions, why were they sent to New Guinea? In the circumstances, such visits appeared to him to be futile and a waste of public money, ‘We do not ask for Government subsidies or grants, such as are

enjoyed by Australian producers but we do consider that the Common wealth Government should give sincere thought to providing some form of rural credit to assist agri cultural development, and without delay.”