Territories Talk-Talk

By Tolala

THE broadcast of the reception of Territories’ delegates at Canberra came over quite well on the ABC. As was to be expected, the PNG native representatives stole the show, so far as the commentator was concerned. The man who is recognised as having done such a wonderful job during the Pacific War—Paul Mason—scarcely got a mention. One of the proudest men there. I expect, was Bandmaster Crawley for his untiring tuition of his native musicians was

well rewarded. Both he and Sandy Sinclair can The precision of the drill was ex cellent.

The danger of a little knowledge of pidgin was exemplified to a de gree bordering on lese-majeste when a Sydney morning paper ran the banner heading; “Fuzzy-haired Pacific Islanders who speak only Pidgin greeted then No 1 Mary All with Fine Ceremony To-day.

No native refers to a white woman

as .a .“Mary.” Even the most Socialist Government officials will admit that; at least, they should.

Papuans have their own word, “Sinabada”; and the generally accepted term in TNG is “Missus” —though the Methodist Missionaries have made an effort to establish “Marama” (from Fiji) to designate a white woman. Unfortunately it was not accepted generally—prob ably on account of its Mission origin.

Admittedly, “Missus” is an un- ■ lovely word, but certainly an im provement on “No. 1 Mary.”

It is safe to bet that everyone ( of the native troops and bandsmen j knew Her Majesty as “Queen,” and J nothing else.

As for the story about Simogun i being unable to converse with the j Duke, I accept with a pinch of salt. .

For over 40 years he has had con- tact with Europeans and is an ex- ceptionally intelligent type. None £ other could have carried out thee job of Police Sergeant and Ser geant-Major with the Coastwatchers,,. to say nothing of his post-war activ- ities. He may have felt tongue tied and preferred an interpreter,, but that doesn’t mean he could notj have spoken and understood a con versation. (See “God Save Oun Gracious Queen,” page 18. Simogunr. was neither tongue-tied nor did hes use an interpreter, as reported inc

some newspapers).

* * * Captain Jimmy Duncan, well known TNG skipper, planter andb Harbour Master, celebrated his 80thn birthday about the middle of lastf month, and there was a happy? gathering at the Duncan home im Chats wood, supervised by Auntiej Joan, who was always a populam hostess in Rabaul. The new Rabauk was to have been built on Jimmy s' Rapopo estate, but the change otc

the official mind does not seem to have worried the even-tempered Jimmy.

The Captain first arrived in TNG in 1916, skippered a naval vessel and then gave good service in 1920- 21 with the Wattle expedition, the first Australian venture of its kind and one which gathered a fund of valuable geological, hydrographical and agricultural data. The late Mr. E. R. Stanley, Papuan geologist, submitted a valuable report which covered TNG from end to end and was contained in Australia’s first report to the League of Nations.

After acquiring Rapopo from the Expro Board, Jimmy Duncan was for many years an executive officer of the Planters’ Assn, of NG and has always been a public-minded re sident. Many happy returns, Jimmy! * * » From Mrs. L. Miller (nee Hoepfel), comes word referring to my men tion in January issue of Stephan sort. She writes that the Neu Guinea Compagnie’s first station on the NG mainland coast was at Hatzfeldthafen, where in 1891 her father and mother arrived from Sumatra, and Mr. Hoepfel was en gaged in planting tobacco for the NGC. In 1892 there was a massacre of Europeans, Chinese and natives, the Hoepfel family escaping by a narrow margin, with a spear through Mr. H.’s arm. The station was closed down and the NGC moved then to Stephansort.

The Hoepfel family after the massacre returned to Sumatra, and it was there that Mrs. Miller was born. Later they returned to NG.

Well do I remember Mrs. Hoepfel and her daughter Louise (Lulu) in the early days of War I. The latter married one of the AN & MEF mem bers who later died and she, with others, had a grim time when the Japs came along in ’42. She spent some time in the RC Remale camp eventually, and was one of those nursing Mrs. Kauman-Juker when she passed away in that camp just before the armistice. * * * Says M. Jean Pignon, French delegate on the UN Trusteeship Council, after his visit last year to NG: “I think the development of the collective or co-operative under takings by companies partly or en tirely state-controlled would be better in many ways than settle ment by individual colonisers.”

And where would the TNG have been without the development brpught about by Private Enter prise? If he is endeavouring to squash this, then his regard for NG’s progress along democratic

lines must undoubtedly be

questioned. I wonder from which particular hopper he comes from in the political grist mill.

The L of N was instituted primarily so that the “havenots” would not think War I was waged

for the conquest of territory. The League proved a fiasco, UN took oyer, and has been a top-heavy in strument for the try-out of ideal istic theories, which are not accepted by a materialistic world.

It is so far off the beam that it cannot even organise successfully a steering committee prior to a con ference. When it becomes truly

united then it will receive my sup port—and the support of the public in general. * * * The politically-inspired snarl anent NG land laws, appearing in the SMH Correspondence column contiues. It’s rather ironical, really, when one recalls the NSW

Government’s flair for resumption of lands from pastoralists, to say nothing of the despotic activities of the Cumberland County Council in resuming building areas, declaring prohibited zones and generally rid ing rough-shod over land-owners who can do nothing about it.

There's no need for anyone in Australia to worry about the NG native not getting “a fair go” in land matters, with Chief Judge Phillips in the box seat; for what he doesn’t know about native land laws isn’t worth knowing. One should not forget that he did a good job of work in the BSI as a Special Commissioner af Inquiry into land matters there in 1920-25, and then after his appoint nent to TNG in 1928 he spent many nonths unravelling knotty problems concerning land in the Madang dis trict.

A pity PNG is dragged into these political party snarls. It should ie declared a political neutral area.

The Territory never derives any aenefit and is often given a bad name by people ignorant of the 'acts. * * * Mr. Justice Phillips (Acting Ad ninistrator) threw some -light on he Ralauana situation recently vhen he stated that “previous state nents on the Raluana issue had not aeen entirely fair.” (See P a ff e 33) Written petitions for 14 villages, :onsisting of six Raluana and 8 >ther villages, had been sent to the Administrator; and in all 3,654 lames were subscribed to the peti ;ions, in which they asked to be excluded from a village council mtil their position had been clari ied legally. The petitions have leen forwarded to Brigadier Cleland, Pho is away on three months’ leave n Australia. ..I’d like to comment on the ad visability of “thinking native” in liich cases; but perhaps it is best 0 treat the matter as more or less tub judice for a while. And here’s loping it won’t be a long while, >ecause even sophisticates from ‘The Hill” may not understand ong departmental delays. * * * Tourist ships are again to visit Moresby—the Coronia in March and he Orion in September. Some people ire unkind enough to ask: Why?

Still, they must remember the town las a war history significance, if lot typical tropical beauty.

In pre-war days, Rabaul proved popular tourist port and official lorn went out of its way to dis parage native salesmen from ship ide bartering, as well as to control >rices for goods which have a tend ncy to soar when visitors come shore. Let’s hope there’s no ex ploiting by natives of the white ourists. “What goes up must come own” seldom ever applies to native Tices.

And being old-fashioned. I can’t efrain from expressing the hope

that the female tourists will exer cise at least a modicum of decorum in the matter of dress, or undress, when going ashore. But no doubt that is a vain hope in this age of so-called race equality.

Which reminds me of the time in the late Twenties in Rabaul when a couple of Bright Young Things occasioned well-deserved censoring by one of the local Judges for appearing on the public tennis courts in most abbreviated shorts.

Needless to say, the exhibitionists won out in the long run. It may have been merely a coincidence that shortly after their display on the courts there were several Peeping Toms and “on the curtilage” cases involving the lasses. * * * Papuan Boy Scouts created more than usual interest at Sydney Legacy on February 1, when they were entertained by the Intermedi ate Club. It was described as the finest night’s entertainment the Club had ever had. One of the Scouts, Congregational Minister Rev. Reaton, secured special men tion and spoke “fluent Enlish,” but offered a prayer in the native dialect. Mr. and Mrs. Heape can take a well-deserved bow. * * * The Welshman, “Dafydd Ap Rhys,” writing from Madang (PIM, Feb., p 151) mentions “The Book of Pidgin English,” by J. J. Murray.

It should have been, of course, John J. Murphy.

I’m not anxious to be drawn into this Pidgin argument. One reason being that real, true Pidgin isn’t being used in the Territory. Proof?

Mr. Rhys’s own statement that 1,760 words are contained in the Murphy Book, whereas pure Pidgin consisted of no more than about 300 words. Murphy himself, in his “Apologia,’ 1 ’ refeprs to “jargon of broken English and sonorous twaddle which too many pass off as Pidgin English.”

It was only with Australia’s con quest of German NG that the vocabulary started to grow, and that was due to the English-speak ing folk being too lazy to learn the correct Pidgin and ad-libbing with “broken English,” which they thought quite adequate.

Another stumbling-block for Eng lish-speaking folk is the phonetic spelling used in connection with Pidgin, which makes it appear more complicated. * * * Congratulations to Rupert Ollerenshaw on his elevation to the PNG Bench as relieving Judge. It is 21 years this month since he first put out his shingle in Rabaul, where he established a flourishing law practice and was appointed later a MLC. He was a member of the famous NGVR. * * * A signal honour was enjoyed by

the four judges of PNG when Her Majesty the Queen, presiding over the Federal Executive Council dur- Sfv h SnSd 6 the ° Commission?"of ally signed the commissions oi Appointment of Chief Judge Philips, Mr. Justice Gore, Mr. Justice Bignold and Mr. Justice Kelly. This is the first occasion in Australia

that such commissions have been personally signed by the Sovereign, * * * The PN ° Historical Society should have some interesting and exC iting wor k ahead if a report, tabled at a meeting of the DAC in Moresby i as t month, is correct. It deals with the location of a Spanish galleon

wrecked off the Papuan coast. Call ing Diver Johnston!

And that reminds me of a re ported discovery of Peruvian pottery years ago on Watom Island, off the North Coast of the Gazelle Pen insula. And there should still be some interesting mementoes of the Marquis de Ray expedition down around Port Breton, on the South New Ireland coast.

What a mass of material the Historical Society has to work upon!

It wants to beware that the gov ernment doesn’t step in and grab the best relics for shipment to Can berra, or even farther afield. I have heard that the best collections of NG ornithological, and ethnological specimens are to be seen in New York or Chicago!