Territories Talk-Talk

By Tolala

Charity Begins at Home

Senator Douglas Clive Hannaford, rho was the leader of the Parlia icntary party visiting P-NG in uly, made the headlines for a av when he suggested that the J 0,000,000 Australia is spending on ie Colombo Plan should be diverted, i part at least, to P-NG, adding le old adage about “charity begins b home.”

Such a controversial (although lost practical) suggestion received ttle publicity in Australia. Any jing that might have a bearing n South-East Asian relations is ynamite when everyone is bending per backwards to placate the eoples encircling Australia. P-NG l peanuts in the general scheme nd must, of course, not interfere Ith Asian countries supplying

coffee, tea, hemp and all those com modities which P-NG could easily provide, lest it interfere with trade treaties and the like.

A dip into the £30,000,000 Colombo Plan for P-NG is a sensible suggestion, as was also the Senator’s idea that a portion of Australia’s £200,000,000 Defe n c e Vote should be spent on roads in

P-Ng.

My own opinion—and that of many other non-political blokes—is that this “greasing” process, which is going on as a buffer to Com munist influence in Asian countries, could easily be love’s labour lost by the scratch of any fanatical pen at any time.

The Senator, by the way, is a practical land man, interested in wheat, wool and fiat lambs; so he should have some idea of the needs for primary production.

Native Economics At the Planters’ Conference at Rabaul last month the unanimous opinion was expressed that where native co-operatives were well established the salaries of Admin istration officials “directing the affairs of the societies should be paid for by the societies.” And what could be fairer than that?

The continued practice of shower ing largesse upon native economic ventures is surely a waste of public funds and gives the native himself a false idea of Western economics altogether.

The native is a natural-born trader and is as astute as his Western opposite when it comes to striking a bargain or closing a deal; his purse has been filled by a benevolent Administration with war damage—without question; Island produce has risen to undreamed-of heights since the War, and he is obtaining the highest prices for his copra and cacao.

With these changed conditions he should realise the responsibilities he must carry when entering world commerce, which he has done by the formation of his co-operatives.

He, and he alone, must bear the expenses concomitant with such an undertaking.

The period of wet-nursing has passed in most of these co-opera tive societies; they must stand on their own, or declare the system a failure.

Copra Marketing

It was interesting to study the remarks of Editor Robson on the copra industry in last month’s PIM, and all the more so as it was apropos of the planter’s plebiscite in

Papua, favouring the retention of the present board—semi-govern mental control though it may be.

It would seem, however, that there is a general feeling amongst P-NG planters that it is better to have the devil you know than he whom you don’t know, and past experi ence has not been detrimental to planters’ interests.

From my observations recently in the Territory, the existing board is not one of those top-heavy bureaucratic concerns that defy the interested parties. Providing there is adequate representation of planter interests, it is a body that could well function for a further period.

New Guinea and the World ABC regional journalist, Stuart Inder, recently stationed at Moresby, expressed some good solid ideas about public relations duties in P-NG (PIM, Aug., p. 69), and deserves a pat on the back for his lucid summing up of the publicity situation in the Territory.

The Territory has a poor press in Australia, and there is little con tinuity in the stories that make the daily papers (other, of course, than special articles by itinerant journalists).

Of late years, stories about P-NG in southern papers have consisted almost solely of the discoveries of

various “Shangri-las,” patrol fights and tribal brawls.

Perhaps southern news editors think these are the only topics of interest to the Australian public.

If so, then that may explain the over-all apathy and ignorance of Australians over New Guinea.

As Stuart Inder says: There is something wrong with the P-NG public relations organisation. But the fault is probably not so much with the personnel as with a top level censorship, which undoubtedly appears to be imposed.

Renewing Old Clubs

I was glad to note recently that steps are being taken to discuss the revival of the old Rabaul Amateur Turf Club, a most popular organ

isation in its heyday, when rs meetings were held mainly on t Lakunai course, where the prese golf course now lies.

There are at least three old su porters who come to my mind a. who are still up there: Vic Perm father, “Mick” Thomas and Ja Allen, and many a time the t' last-named have ridden mounts victory.

Another club well worthy of i suscitating is the old Automob: Club of New Guinea. There e still a few of the old members abc and there is at least one car bad still in existence.

D. N. O’Connor told me that Ml McGowan, at Moresby, has oi which is only right, for it was h husband who designed it for t club. And a very good job it w;

There were a few chips in the ank when the kite went up in 42. foe “Squizzy” Watch was pre dent, Jock Bennie was Treasurer 4>oth passed on —and I was secre iry. ly Nom de Plume the veil of my anonymity hav * been officially torn asunder PIM June), I was somewhat in dued to read in the pidgin paper.

Waul News (June 25) that the leaning of “Tolala” in the Tolai Sk was “Masta bilong putim intern ol toktok or Mr. Editor, mg tok English.”

I do not question the accuracy I the translation. My knowledge I the Blanche Bay dialect is be 3ButgtheStTolai meaning is quite uincidental. I adopted •om the Buka word meaning white fit 1 was derived from an excited Iclamation -littered by the first tuka man to sight a sailing ship pproaching the island. Thinking fie ship was an island coming up ut of the sea, he cried; A tol a ma rayen!” (An island is coming ere). From a portion of that ihrase came the word Tolala a bite man. Interesting for philolog its, if for no one else.

An interesting collection would e the different P-NG native words, nd their derivation, for a white ian.” I had such a collection pre rar, but it went up in smoke when tie Japs came.

Cadets Wanted

Southern newspapers at the be- Inning of last month advertised acancies for 100 cadetships in the ►-NG Public Service which would to vide; “Sound training. Excellent salaries. Interesting Work. Scope

or Initiative. Opportunities for

advancement.”

Forty-two cadet patrol officers, 20 field Medical Assistants, 16 Educa ion Officers (male), 12 female; 6 Agricultural Officers, 2 Veterinary md 2 Forest are required.

Territorial officials claim they lave difficulty in obtaining suitable ipplicants for the posts and com ilain of increasing staff shortages.

Old-timers agree and raise an xicasional eyebrow, but shrug it iff when they realise that the Tern ary does not pay for the modern official. That’s the Australian tax jayers’ baby. Or is it?

>hangri-las?

■ As a result of the somewhat fre luent discoveries of new tribes and inferences to “Shangri-la” as ipplied to hidden valleys in P-NG highlands, I rather suspect that louthern newspapers keep the ‘Shangri-la” headings “standing” to ise on almost any patrol story that s released by Moresby for world sonsumption, I would not like to think the P-NG Public Relations Officer is

responsible for this oft-quoted phrase about hidden valleys.

I notice that Ivan Champion— a man of unquestioned integrity and experience—writing from Bris bane to a local weekly at Port Moresby, refers to the discovery of 100,000 natives in the Tari head waters about a year ago.

“The descriptions seemed vaguely familiar,” he writes, “and on look ing up my own reports and those of my colleagues and contemporaries, I discovered that most of the ‘new’ areas had been described some 14 to 16 years before.”

Which all goes to show that past history is almost an unknown

quantity in the Territory amongst the post-war folk, many of whom think that the discovery of P-NG dates from the days of the Kokoda Trail.

An instance of this ignorance was exemplified in a recent news paper paragraph which referred to a report by the ABC at Moresby that “Brigadier McNicoll was in the Territory and that he was the son of a former Administrator, Cap tain McNicoll.” Comment is un necessary on such a “blue.”

Captain McNicoll, by the way, was skipper of HMAS Sydney, with a wonderful war record (including the GM), and is now in Europe

adding to his already vast know ledge of navy matters.

A New Montoro A news item from London tells of the ordering of a 3,700-ton vessel by BP from a Norwegian shipyard, and this is claimed to be the first Australian contract secured by that country. It is to be completed by the end of 1956.

The new ship will probably be put on the P-NG run and will be named Montoro.

It is good to see a reversion to the old-time names of seven letters, starting with “M,” which in the past, characterised the BP ships in the Pacific.

The first vessels to break the sequence (so far as I remember) were the Neptun and Merkur, bought from the NDL when that company was contemplating com peting with the Old Firm in the Eastern trade after War I.

They slapped an “A” on the Neptun but the Merkur remained unaltered and was on the Singa pore run.

Papuans All?

I notice that the general practice of referring to natives in both Terri tories as Papuans, adopted for a while by a local newspaper, has ceased, which rather confirms my original idea that it was a “try-out” by officialdom to see how it would react on the people, and was further agitated for by Padre Ure in the Legislative Council.

Officials with their fingers on the pulse of public opinion (and there are still quite a number there) should realise that the move is un popular.

In my opinion, when newspapers report court cases, it would be an excellent idea to stipulate the area from which the offender comes; So and So from Mekeo, or Hanuabada, Sepik or Rabaul, as the case may be.

It would, more or less, pinpoint the home town or district and the crime would thus become a district matter which would reflect not only on the individual but on his relatives and the whole district and could be an embarrassment to the criminal.

Incidentally, the long view of the Government is ultimately to grant independence to the present under privileged peoples of New Guinea— if United Nations principles are to be observed.

Can the Government not realise that in years to come there would be considerable dissatisfaction amongst the New Guinea natives if they were labelled “Papuans”? It would be one of the first problems to be faced by an irate majority.

New Guinea Coffee

Some of the New Guinea planters are producing a coffee equal to the best overseas grades, said a Sydney coffee merchant recently, and added that NG coffee was selling at about 9/6 lb.—about 2/- less than some coffee imported from overseas.

Such a statement makes one wonder how much longer P-NG is to be made a sacrifice on the altar of international trade.

Science for the South Seas I see that Dr. Bedell (Secretary- General of the South Pacific Com mission) is very satisfied with the “successful work of the Com mission” amongst the 3,000,000 Pacific Islanders who are already

“feeling the benefit of the Com mission’s work.”

Sometimes I wonder where all this “streamlining” is going to end —and what would happen if a rather apathetic Australian taxpayer took exception to pouring money into P-NG.

It seems somewhat top-heavy to be teaching natives how to plant coconuts or changing their methods of fishing.

No doubt scientific methods will result in growing two coconuts where one grew before, and catch ing more fish. I can’t remember native communities being short of Either coconuts or fish in ordinary jircumstances, and increased pro duction may mean over-production (which in many cases does not mean that more people are going to re ceive the benefit of such surplus) It will certainly conflict with many old tribal rites, customs and ceremonial dear to the heart of the native, and I feel most keenly that our regimentation of the native’s life is interfering far too much already with old cultural practices.

But we seem determined to force

him into our own trouble-making worry-creating mould to become a working unit in our dubious economic system and a target for our commercialised high-pressured talk, to share the very doubtful “freedoms” of which we less S ° much and know less and To me there is no comparison between the dignified, well-poised o^ IV £’- c *°^ ed in a clean lava-lava, and his self-conscious counterpart, bo S o g t e s d an°d Ut an in WeSter “ Clothin ®'

Bits and Pieces

of running the United Soooi* year 15 estlmated at Gone West: H. H. Kilby, a cap tam of Lancers in War I, ADC to the Prince of Wales during his Australian tour in 1920 and to G-G Munro-Ferguson. A well-k no w n identity in the Exproboard in T-NG during the early twenties. In War he was a Wing Commander in charge of the RAAF Training School at Victor Harbour, SA.

F. J Bannigan at Woy Woy, latJ Dept, of Works at Lae. . . 8..

Faithorn, of Wamberai, formerly ARM In the Papuan Service. t Nukualofa’s electricity supply interrupted by a major breakdt; m the generating plant in Aug New parts were due by plan?

August 12.

II Captain Floyd Duffey, manager Transocean Airlines’ Micrones Division since 1953, has died ot heart attack, according to ad T from Guam. Captain Duffey, hi ? f the only air organisation ope mg through Micronesia, was 4i t During the war, when DDT y heralded with a fanfare of public: it was tipped as the weapon tl would deal the death-blow to ■ malaria-carrying mosquito. But m it appears, the mosquitoes, afl some early casualties, have adjusi themselves in most areas whi DDT has been heavily employe mid it has ceased to take effe However, other insecticides hs developed to carry on wh,.

DDT left Off.