Land In New Guinea

Administrator Discusses Some Problems

Arf atfa/tfistt nf tbp Aik- RE STATEMENT of the Aus tiahan Governments land policy in Papua-New Guinea was made by the Administrator (Brigadier D. M. Cleland) in an address in Brisbane, just before he returned to Port Moresby at the end ptrf P of the Th Coir o^ W MI« iS **"

“In Kenya the natives were de -nvivpH nf fbpir land hv wbitp mpn but in New Guinea they will never be land-hungry,” said the Admin istrator.

“The administration protects their interests on all sides.

“The natives own all the land

basically. And if they don’t want to sell to anyone, that’s the end of the matter.”

Other main points he made were that the missions and the Adminis tration were co-operating exten sively, that natives gaining access to liquor was “a real problem,” and that there was no sign of Com munist influence amongst the natives.

He said that no private applicant for land could go direct to a New Guinea native.

If the natives agreed to sell, then the land was bought by the Admin istration through a District Com missioner for an agreed price, and was then leased to the would-be white settler.

There was a further proviso that all sales of land had to be approved by the Administrator. It was en

sured that land was bought by out siders only when it was surplus to the natives’ present or foreseeable needs.

A case in point was the Markham Valley, which contained good pas toral and agricultural country.

Though many white men were after the land, the Administration was working to a plan whereby the valley would first be surveyed and the quantity of land required by the natives assessed.

Administration And

Missions

Brigadier Cleland said there was great co-operation between the mis sions and the Administration.

“We welcome the work of the mis sions, particularly in education and health matters. Since 1946 the Ad ministration has made grants total ling £1,149,000 to the missions for work in these spheres,” he said.

Sixty per cent, of these grants had gone to missions in the Man dated Territory, and the remainder to those in Papua.

He said that to gain more co operation, conferences between mis sion heads and the administration would now be held annually instead of every two years. On the new Education Advisory Board there were three mission representatives.

Natives And Liquor

The Administrator said many natives were gaining access to hard liquor in Port Moresby and Rabaul, and were drinking.

“Let’s be frank about this. It is a real problem, and we are work ing on it,” he said.

Late last year an ordinance had been brought in providing basically for prohibition to natives, but there was a clause that permits could be issued in certain cases.

It had not yet been worked out how the permits would be issued, he said.

In reply to a question from a member of the audience, Brigadier Cleland said there was no sign of Communist influences anywhere amongst the natives in Papua or the Mandated Territory.

Any trouble reported amongst the natives near Rabaul was the result of a few mistakes by the adminis tration in the past, which the tribes —a proud race—would not forget.

The 3,000 Chinese in Rabaul were all intensely loyal to Britain, and came mainly from Hong Kong, he added. fl Mr. Alan M. MacQuarrie, former Captain of the Yard for Navy in American Samoa, has returned and was recently sworn in as Secretary of America Samoa, relieving former Secretary Leland P. Draney. On the same date were sworn in: Mr.

Lyman Fort, Director of Education, and Myron Howell as Director of Agriculture and Chief F. Tufele took over duties as Assistant Director for Agriculture.