Warangoi Land

Guropeans Last?

Warangoi Land For Natives, and Chinese?

I From Our Own Correspondent

Rabaul, Jan. 31.

; AND for Chinese settlers was j again discussed at the January 20 meeting of the New Britain istrict Advisory Council. iMore than two years ago, the len New Britain District Com issioner (Mr. J. K. McCarthy) mvened a meeting of the leaders I the Chinese community to in istigate their land needs.

It was agreed that provision must ‘ made for the growing Chinese >pulation to expand on to the nd. Recommendations that land i set aside for them were sent to )rt Moresby. No official reply has er been received.

The Warangoi Valley area is imber One on the priority list for e Chinese.

A soil survey report has listed it suitable cocoa land. More officials e expected to revisit the area iring February, presumably for a -appraisal. Native Lands Com issioner in New Britain, Mr. Jack ;ad, expects to have investigated id satisfied all native claims in e locality by the beginning of arch. There can then be no isible excuse for withholding the id from the public.

New Britain District Com ssioner, Mr. J. R. Foldi, said at nuary’s District Council meeting at he knew of no reason why land ould be set aside for the Chinese. ‘The land, when available, will thrown open for application, not ' tender.” he said. “The Chinese n apply for it the same as anyone e. The actual cost of the land is initesimal compared with the lount required to develop it.” \ Chinese businessman when told Mr. Foldi’s remarks about the Jt of developing the land, said et the Government give us the id: if someone hasn’t got the >ney to develop his piece of )und, we’ll find it for him.”

Editorial Note

Vith Mr. Foldi, we can see no ison why the Chinese should be gled out to have any land tlement scheme of their own— ire is nothing to prevent them plying for land like anyone else.

Vith all respect to the part they ve played in NG since the rman period, the Chinese have

not been sufficiently conspicuous as agricultural pioneers to merit any special treatment. If we remember correctly, General Griffiths, when NG Administrator, had a scheme for settling young Chinese on land near Kerevat. It was not proceeded with—whether because Canberra disapproved or because the Chinese were not interested, we do not know.

There is certainly no reason why the rich Warangoi area should be “on the priority list for the Chinese.”

It is interesting to note, also, that Mr. Read expects shortly to have “satisfied” all native claims to the area.

It is well-known by everyone who knew NG before 1945, that the Warangoi was just a place-no-good to every Tolai native until the last few years, and wild horses could not have dragged them into it. No Tolai could be said to have “owned” any of it, in the native sense, or any other.

In fact, no one cared much about the Warangoi until a Rabaul timber firm built a road into it about 1950 and then applied to grow cocoa where they had felled the timber.

They were followed shortly after wards by the local branch of the RSL, which asked for some of the land for soldier-settlement.

Some of this land probably is necessary for the resettlement of the increasing Tolais—and most thinking people will concede this without having the nonsensical business of native “claims” pushed down their throats.

But there should also be ample for other settlement—and if there is any priority for the latter, it

should surely go to the two interests which have been plugging away at the Warangoi land question for the last four years—namely, the people who roaded it and opened it up, and the RSL. Certainly not the Chinese, who, as far as we know, have no particular claim to this rich area; and who should therefore take their chance with other late-comers.