Territories Talk-Talk

By Tolala

[ore “Lost Tribes” iscovered Towards the end of last month te discovery in P-NG of another jost Tribe” of natives was released the Australian Press, synchron ing with Minister Hasluck’s visit ; the Territory. (No, Ido not ne ssarily infer anything at all), id so another 20,000-odd primi res became material for Civilisa m’s Grist-Mill.

They were reported to be a par ularly friendly people and eeted ADO James Kent and his rty with lavish hospitality— tie realising the advent of the liteman means the introduction a thousand trials and tribula ns. restrictions and regimenta ns which they must face if they ; to secure the “advantages” and nenities” of the twentieth cen ■yfhere’s no doubt we take our ponsibilities to primitive peoples y seriously. Government and ssions will now make every pre ration for an intensive cultiva q of this virgin soil in which to se potential “democrats”, and lowers of one or more of the ny Christian denominations king adherents in the Terri y.

I’ime alone will tell whether se fine, primitive people will re i their happy, care-free disposi i after white contact. met ADO James Kent by nee a couple of days after he ived in Sydney Town—a quiet, ssuming cove, on well-earned r e and anxious to join his wife West Australia. He had been nping the streets seeking ac imodation until he could leave the West. o me it seemed incongruous that an whose achievements that day 5 being blazoned with pride ►ss the front pages of the Press, his gear checked in a railway k room while he searched for a e wherein to lay his head! A 3what different type of hospi y to that accorded him by the ly-discovered Faiwomin people, ;ed away in the Hindenburg ges. . . . People in Sydney at time were too busy thinking of my Ray and Spike Jones, no

orical

curacies iere was a lot of talk last th over the NSW Obscenity for the control of sex books,

Deadwood Dicks and so on. I should like to see a Bill brought down to censor historical inaccura cies concerning P-NG.

The reader of thrillers or sexy literature does not expect the truth, but does expect a degree of accuracy from newspaper feature articles—even on New Guinea, now and since the. war. Invariably, however, these Islands stories strive for such romantic highlights that the truth is handled care lessly.

And there is really no need. The truthful version is just as romantic —properly handled.

One such careless handling caught my eye last month. It purported to portray the attempt of August Englehardt to found a colony of sun-worshippers on the small island of Kabakon in the Duke of York group—not far from Rabaul. I have mentioned August Englehardt on several occasions in these columns. He was a most in teresting and attractive character, whom I knew personally. He came to the German colony in the early 1900’s.

According to the feature scribe, the “Palm Temple” was located on an island called “Kahakua” and Englehardt died (so the article in fers) circa 1904. I did not meet him until 1911, and the last I saw of him was when he was an in ternee in Rabaul (behind barbed

wire) in 1917. He died some years after that.

“No women were allowed on the island,” writes the scribe. But, ac tually, a woman did arrive, to marry one of the clan. But he had died, and so she lived with three or four other Disciples of the Sun for sometime before she also died of malaria.

Feature articles should at least be accurate in place names and dates, and thus have an historical value for the reader.

Strangely enough, the same island was featured in another Syd ney paper a few months previously, which described how “Pat the Miner,” had acquired “his own coral kingdom,” lazing the days away amidst “wild orchids (which almost over-ran the island), waving coconut palms, tropic sun and £62/10/0 a week.” But nary a word of its having been a “Palm Temple” for sun-worshippers!

A Touchy Spot

One is inclined to regard Lae as a super-sensitive spot in P’-NG where international incidents occur —or is it, perhaps, that the town has a more efficient publicity man?

In February there was the inci dent over the Japanese wreath. In March, a local complaint was lodged because US Army personnel showed a film (for which no charge was made) in the Stewart Hall.

Washington, advised by the US Embassy in Australia, sent an in vestigating officer from Guam to Lae, who fined the Doughboys £4O for showing films ashore, which

should only have been screened afloat. The reports published in Australia described a very petty in cident, which should never have oc curred.

To what extent will regimentation extend in this sad, old world in the Christian year 1955? And we are supposed to be a democratic people.

To Booze or Not to Booze It must have been amusing (were it not so tragic) to listen to portion of the debate on the Native Liquor •ill in the recent P-NG Legislative Council —especially when some vfembers could not understand Simogun’s Pidgin-English ut erances which favoured/did not favour the Bill!

It only goes to show how Pidgin can be misinterpreted and makes one a bit apprehensive about Court interpreters, upon whose transla tions often depend a man’s life.

A frequent pitfall for the unini tiated lies in the two negatives, which constitute an affirmative.

The debate undoubtedly resolved itself into the official and non official viewpoints—the former in favour, the latter against. I assume (from the reports) that the official attitude in favour of drinking per mits was merely in accordance with top-level instructions; whereas the non-official members spoke accord ing to their conscience, beliefs and experience, and paying no attention to the UNO policy of granting the native every human liberty possible —whether for his good or not.

In the matter of P-NG natives

drinking, it is a pity that the gov ernment of New South Wales does not realise the potential danger of its policy of allowing P-NG natives to drink in public bars there.

A senior P-NG government offi cial told me the other day of an in cident in which a soldier was enter taining a couple of P-NG natives in a Sydney bar and, on being ap proached by the official, the soldier expressed his annoyance at anyone taking exception to hospitality be ing shown to “these coves who probably hauled my mates over the Kokoda trail.”

Recourse to higher authority brought the official no satisfacti9n, as nothing in the NSW Act forbids the serving of alcohol to P-NG natives. If this statement is cor rect, action of some kind is certainly needed.

Only last month a Madang native was charged in a Sydney court with using indecent language in George Street, Sydney. City papers featured the case on account of the Pidgin- English employed. The native’s ex cuse was that he and another native had been drinking. He was fined £1; but no comment was made on his having been allowed to con sume alcoholic liquor.

Spare the Rod

The absurd extremes to which governments will go in their fear that the corporal punishment bogey may be thrown at them was exem plified in Rabaul recently, when a RC priest was fined for tanning the tails of a couple of disobedient native school-girls. And yet we have scores of long-haired psychia trists, sociologists and others vainly endeavouring to put a stop to child

delinquency and trying to exp! its causes!

About the same time that “offence” occurred, an Eng female school-teacher was finec a Northampton Court for caninj of her pupils. She appealed her appeal was upheld. The corder remarked: “It was regretti that the prosecution was launch And the same regret, in opinion, applies to the case of RC Father at Vunadadir. Such inane, near-sighted, velvet-glo mealy-mouthed policy in a com of primitives is the quintessenci absurdity, and is only encouraj future trouble —repeat, trouble.

As time passes, it becomes n apparent that we, as a govern authority in a native country. “1 not got the guts of a louse” w: disciplinary measures are concer And why? Because we are af of UNO censorship, or that sut peoples may become pro-Com nists. All of which is, indirect! victory for Communism, becaus is building up for a Big Pay when the undisciplined primf become mature.

A Bit Pessimistic Listening the other day t broadcast in the ABC Cour man’s Session I was surprise< hear that “coconuts in P-NG nearing the end of their bea period.”

I remember seeing coconuti Ceylon, 80 years old and prodr 12 cwt to the acre. The spe was giving a build-up for the c industry in P-NG. BMt surely t is no need to cry down the “Consols of the East” in the prc When we took over German in 1914, there were 86,000 i planted with coconuts; in 1953 bearing area was 187,594 acres, it would appear the majority o: conuts in the Trust Territory, way, are not more than 50 : old. Not too old for coconuts— viding you feed them occasion Kiap Cardew, down in Buk 1920, directed each adult nath plant 10 coconuts a year. A idea; but somebody got the ji and the practice went into dis Seemed a bit too much like “fc labour.” There would be a goo turn now in that area had the tern been maintained.

A Territory of

Snarls!

After reading a recent issu the SP Post it struck me that old P-NG had become, more ever, a Territory of Snarls.

There was Minister Haslucl tacking the people (European course) for “public apathy” reji ing the political development c country. There were aircraft doing a whinge about hotel

d service in Moresby. Another inge came from Manus military i air personnel because alleged idequate beer supplies were due poor shipping facilities. Others nplained of high prices, and tyed for price control. The nuabada natives wanted special oholic drinking privileges in a b!

Itifling departmental policies •e blamed by a resigning govern nt official for the loss to the Ad listration of many valuable pub servants. omeone has said somewhere, letime, that criticism and dis sfaction of present conditions d towards future progress. If so, 1G sho»ild go ahead by leaps and nds.

stal Gazing

saw recently the possibility of e changes in office among high -1 personnel; A sort of General t between Moresby, New York South Pacific.

Comment?

aly reference I heard on ister Hasluck’s return from

P-NG in March was an ABC s ment to the effect that an inc in the wages of native govern employees was being considi Rather a poor show for an newspaperman Minister, who s) know the value of good put at the appropriate time.

Pidgin Acquitted

Poor old Pidgin-English, y has been taking the knock UNO and some of the haireds, appears to have absolved of its crimes and into its own again. It is i officially adopted by P-NG cationalists, and the NT Educ Advisory Board is toying wit adoption—another brand, natr I hope the written form w English, and not the pin conglomeration as hitherto all due respect to the old Ge missionaries in the Territory): a lad has brains enough to then he has brains enough to to write in English. Not forg* that in Pidgin (true Pidgin) are no two words with the sound, a point I did not mentioned by Professor Hall i valuable treatise.

This might be a good tir cull out all the bastardised that have crept into Pidgin c the past two decades.

Paradise in N.G.

Chips Rafferty, film ma and slap-happy screen actor incidentally quite a good cove) to P-NG in May to “shoot”

Into Paradise, centring a; Moresby, Goroka and Me Rather an incongruous so] title, judging by recent hea of “Unrest in NG”. No, not hunters this time, but £-Hu due to the general dissatisfact; the ranks of the Public Sei and the reported raw deal i out to them by the Minister.

Rabaul Conditions

I see that Doc Calov has m return trip to Rabaul afte absence of many years and th< ditions there, according to SP shocked this former TNG M Officer —especially the unhy conditions in New Chinatowi The Doctor is not one publicity at any time, so h;. pressions of opinion can be as a reliable indication 01 situation. Shortage of staff cause (so I hear from quarters) coupled with shoe financing from the Big Tot Moresby.

Doc Calov is probably the known of all the old TNG mt. and will always remain pn with the old-timers. At one; he was Rabaul’s best on batsman in any cricket mate: