Exploited?

Irlines And Recruiters

Demander Fire

Who Are The

Exploited?

S the Federal Parliament in Can berra in early October, Mr. J. F.

Fitzgerald, a Labour MP, had a eat deal to say about the condi ms under which New Guinea itives were recruited and worked; ■ said that these conditions ordered on slavery”

Mr. Fitzgerald had made his serrations when he was a member a Parliamentary party visiting i Territory. During that visit he I travelled by Mandated Airlines what is known locally (so he Id) as the “boong run.” His Actions to that trip were pub ied in the October issue of the dfic Islands Monthly, fir. Fitzgerald’s sweeping general tions have been condemned by ny old-established planters and ders in the Territory and in the lowing letter, Mr. Lance H. \kinson, of Bubuleta, via Samarai, pua, expresses his views.

Regarding Mr. Fitzgerald’s scath- I remarks about recruiters, I ild like this gentleman to listen a few of my remarks about ficians who exploit the Aus lian taxpayers in their holiday rs round the Islands.

'ery few of these tourists ever get the beaten paths of comfort and hce to see Papua or New Guinea they should see it. I have in id, and still invite, any of these pie to spend three months with [on a plantation and in pro

lonal recruiting.

s a planter, I have improved the Ith of the native communities in )in:ng villages by treating their land giving them free transport hospital in bad cases. I have [acted as their adviser in agri ural pursuits; and have assisted n in ironing out many of their ibles. his can be said of all the plant- I have met in Papua. There are gold passes for this work and expense is borne by the planter self.

Misequently, the natives trust respect us more than they the round-tripping politician talks a lot of eye-wash his return to Canberra, to to justify the trip. The natives ■rd him with suspicion. • the majority of cases they don’t \ why he is here and of what he is; This view is shared by y of the European settlers. 16 labourers on plantations re -5 the stipulated Government

)n > which has been scientifically

>ed out by expert dietitians. This

ration costs far more than 1/6 per diem.

To keep the wolf from the door, I also do quite a lot of professional recruiting. I would welcome one of Mr. Fitzgerald’s union represent atives to accompany me on any of my trips. In fact, he could take my boat and go on his own, if he liked.

It is regarded as the lowest form of life in the Islands, as a skipper is subservient to a lot of betel-nut chewmg natives who, after eventu ally getting on his boat and receiv ing rations, and giving promises are just as likely to walk off at th° next anchorage, or refuse to work on reaching their destination. This, after having been carried round and fed for sometimes a month.

As far as their meals are con cerned, the village natives concen trate mainly on a big meal at night and a small one about ten o’clock m the morning. It is only the ones who have come in contact with Europeans who are developing the

three-meals-a-day habit.

Travelling on a launch, I very seldom bother about a midday meal myself, as it is usually too uncom fortable.

In my experience as a recruiter, I have never heard a native com plain on a vessel about being hungry as a result of missing a mid day meal. I understand their language fairly well, and would hear if it should be mentioned.

The pioneers of Australia are re

arded as glorious nation-builders Ithough in this pioneering they Kctically wiped out the indigenous ice. So why does not someone in ■berra get up and offer a little redit to the pioneers of this land, ho have hewn their homes from ie jungle and done so much to im rove the lot of natives and Euro ;ans alike.

The ball is in your court, Mr. itzgerald. Bring your represent aves, and come up and see us inetime.

I am, etc.,

Lance H. Wilkinson.

Editorial Note

ft should be pointed out that ■Mandated Airlines so-c ailed |“Boong-run” is in the same tegory as the run performed by mtas. Both are a round-the ands flight, Lae-Madang-Wewak anus-Kavieng-Rabaul, lasting any ing up to 10 hours and under eeri in an extreme of bodily dis nfort.

Intending European passengers I usually warned that it is fcarily a service for the trans lation of native recruits—or per ps we should say that Europeans re warned once upon a time, be ise these days any traveller is parently likely to get onto this vice. n the South Pacific Post of tober 12, a visiting Dutch New iliea official is reported at length sr he had travelled from Madang

to Rabaul in a Qantas native special, He described it as 11 hours of torture, during which he nearly broke his back while sitting in un comfortable bucket-seats down one side of the aircraft, faced by 30 natives sitting down the centre of the plane. The Europeans had been served box lunches but he could not eat it because the atmosphere “could be cut with a knife.”

He said that KLM has three DC3’s in Dutch New Guinea but they all had “proper seats” and he felt that it was time the operators in Aus i£ alia £* ] ? ew Guinea S ave a little thought to passenger comfort.

He said be was on business, just wanted to get to Rabaul quickly, and WaS not a tourist OUt to 566 the sights. He did not know why he was not put on a direct service.

Why Mr. Fitzgerald was put on a “boong run” is also a mystery.

Parliamentarians are usually afforded full VIP treatment and guarded from the harsher facts of life in the New Guinea territories, a few days after Mr. Fitzgerald’s statements in Canberra, a very reasonable letter from a reader appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald more or less substantiating the MP’s statements as regards lack of eating facilities for native travellers. It is obvious that little is done to feed these recruits before or during their flight, and although it is not suggested that stewards be employed to dish out boiled rice in the air, it might be possible—in the interests of our happy relations with UN—to per

form this service at some stop place along the way.

That the recruits should go ( less in flight is not the natjs calamity that the Mr. Fitzge? would have us believe, hov( Most of these people are a hop ahead of the Stone Age,9 are taking their first flight am positively struck into immobilil the stupendous nature of it. if Qantas turned on full Superr stellation Connoisseur free champagne, free cigarettes five-course meals, it is doubti* they would become sufficient!;!, stuck to partake.

This writer has done mom travelling about New Guineas native people than Mr. Fitzjs is ever likely to do and has ses; unkindness to them. They travel in slightly less comforts Europeans, but the differences slight as to be virtually nil.

Papua-New Guinea is stili most air minded country hi world and the number of ail vices in proportion to the popuj is staggering—but the degri discomfort in which one is exp to travel is also staggering.? attempt is made to provide whri Dutch official called “propen ing.” You sit in a sort of site tin dish facing into the cenn the plane, while odd projej along the unlined fusilages holes in your back. On some ; your knees also bore into odd i of cargo; or as Mr. Fitzgerald J your eyes bore into the eyes oo native opposite-number, evv your knees are not actually ’ ing his.

It says something for the o of the milk of human kindnes? flows through Mr. Fitzgerald) after seven or eight hours o sort of thing he was able to c a blow for the down-trodden i Most people are fully taken ugi ing themselves.

However, it should be notes it is not the resident of New 0 who complains, but the visito;o outside. From the very beginn 1927 or thereabouts —air traw been like this in the Territon is now simply the accepted tras' Originally, air transport alternative to walking—and in many places. No one wlft ever spent days or weeks, cl:I; in the mud and the rain ovv mountains will ever complain hard seat or lack of a meas plane. At least now you M seat, of a sort; and a safets Not so long ago you sat on ther and took your chance.

There is another reason ft complaining, too. As the aiii panics are fond of telling services just don’t pay, and I are going to start demandiii. cabin-service, well then, nas fares will have to go up. M most NG residents throw up. hands and say, “Anything butL