NG Highlan[?]
pp. 124-125 · Read in the full issue
Administration
Under Fire
Road Neglect in NG Highlan[?]
THE Eastern Highlands Distn Advisory Council at Goroc New Guinea, is seeking minimum of £35,000 a year : road construction and maintenan in the area.
A resolution to this effect w carried unanimously at the Deces her meeting of the Council folio ing one of the bitterest attacks the Administration ever recoro at an Advisory Council meeting The attack was led by Mr. I Downs, who presided at the mes ing for the last time in his capao as District Commissioner. I Downs has since retired from Public Service and after leave Australia will enter private enti prise in the area.
He said the amount of moi( provided by the Administration roads and bridges in the Eastd Highlands amounted to “aim a deliberate sabotage of progrec and that the Administration seem to have accepted, as a matter' course, the fact that local peoc including natives, had done sou thing on their own to improve roc and bridges.
“It is only a matter of w ee.t he said, “since Mr. Don Barn MLC for NG Islands, made strongest representations for ■ sealing of one road in Rabaul. amount of money he asked fok five times as much as has been gi to Eastern Highlands district its 500 miles of roads”.
Mr Downs said the Adminiss tion should realise that there v/ 20 mission stations, 800 on Europeans living on nearly farms and settlements, and 260 natives in the Highlands all uttr and completely dependent on ro as their only means of access communication.
He described the Kainantu i as “a disgrace” and added that; Administration would be to bll if there was a serious accident they were deliberately pursuing policy of letting local officers natives do the job without pnc funds.
Editorial Note
Most of the roads in the If lands area of New Guinea have 1 made with little more in the of labour and equipment t primitive natives, digging svt and woven carrying baskets, road work has been supervisee Patrol Officers and others of District Services Departnr Bridges have been made by contractors. As a result,
indreds of miles of Highlands ads which have opened the coun -7 for coffee plantations and other riculture have cost a small frac >n of what it would have done d it been made by the Department Works.
What is more, the road already ists. If the Highlands districts d had to wait their turn for a ad made by the Works Dept,, sy would have been waiting yet. rhose who pushed the road rough never expected to be left carry the burden of it in per :uity. But having once committed ; blunder of showing the Adminis ,tion that they could help them ves, they apparently are to be t to do it while more clamorous jtricts get the benefit of the id grants and the technicians.