Simogun Says

The P-NG Servant Problem

It ‘Stinks!'

From Our Own Correspondent

Port Moresby, March 28.

JUST how great are the difficulties of obtaining efficient servants in Papua-New Guinea these days was emphasised at the Legislative Council meeting in Port Moresby in March, when one of the three native members, Simogun, had a few words to say about it.

Simogun, speaking in Pidgin, got up to draw the Council’s attention to the need for more native coconut planting, and pointed out the Morobe district as an example ot what was being done in the way of native economic development.

And then came the sting.

Simogun said he would also like to mention that the house made available in Port Moresby for the native Council members was in a disgusting conditio n—in parts shockingly dirty. The laundry, he said, “stinks.”

And the “individual” allotted to

the members as a personal servant seemed incompetent, and had dis appeared for the last two days, so the members had done the work themselves.

Simogun suggested that if Port

Moresby did not have any good se vants, then perhaps it would be good idea to get some from N Guinea.

Simogun’s complaint brought soi action. He reported next morni

hat things at the house were good."

A District Services official later •ported, although not to the Coun 1, that it was interesting to note lat the missing servant was, in ict, a Chimbu (from NG High nds). (Simogun continues to be the ‘rsonality man of the Legislative )uncil. When he gets up to speak ere is is an air of expectancy out the Council chambers because lat he thinks and believes he ys, and begs no one’s pardon. He more often with the Europeans an against them, but he has no aggerated respect for them, or for b Government. He speaks in igin and what he had to say out the house was no doubt an c of its kind. To say something inks finish” in Pidgin if, of course, b the vulgarity it is in straight ghsh—it is a plain term cover a plain state of affairs from an r-ripe paw-paw to the unsatis tory state of the drains.)