Against Asia

Labour Force Needed

Protection of P-NG Against Asia

WELL-KNOWN pioneer, planner l and public man in Papua, Mr.

Tom Nevitt (now residing in uthport, South Queensland) has itten for us his comments on what thinks may be the future of pua and New Guinea, ie sees the menace against this pty land of the growing popula n of Asia; he insists that the only Hection P-NG has lies in the rapid wlopment of the country and the ablishment of our own selected '■ )ples; and he points out that that i be done only if we face up to ■ necessity of bringing in a labour ce, from somewhere —presumably 0 m the overcrowded Asian intries. n the view of the United Nations sembly, the World’s population 1 increase by from 35 per cent. 60 per cent., by 1980. This poses problem for Papua and New inea. lations north of New Guinea , for the present, solving their hlems of over-population by sloping to the utmost- all their ources at home, and expanding ir overseas trade, n marked contrast, Australia’s

ler-populated Papua-New

inea Territory is far from being eloped and therefore in a carious situation.

'or both economic and strategic sons, immediate consideration uld be given to promoting ater development of Territories’ entialities. ’ecently-compiled statistics show t only 70,000 to 75,000 people engaged in primary production P-NG to-day: an absurdly low lo of the population. ’he late Sir Hubert Murray, in 3, said: “Papua has no labour spare, and is in this respect lost in the same position as New inea. In fact, if payable oil discovered in Papua, a very ous labour difficulty will arise.” large proportion of the native Dur now employed in Papua and is being drawn from the deep terlands and highlands of New nea. Transport from these is has been made practicable by ins of air travel, and so has yided a new avenue of labour ply. Were it not for this newly ned field for plantation recruits, very successful rubber industry Papua would not have been i to produce to capacity of put, as now. he much larger increase in 'eminent grants, supplemented the high values of rubber and :a, accounts for circulated funds ;hing boom heights, and

fiting trade and commerce. iite this, the economic position he Territory has not in any 3e improved. It remains in the ion of “stalemate” it had ned pre-war. itish investors with extensive ests in Malaya and Indonesia visited Papua-New Guinea in it years. Their mission was useful, but they left dis iged when they discovered the nee of labour non-sufficiency, the disinterest shown by the Guinea people themselves rds making any active con tion to their own welfare, solution of the problem could upon a policy of migrant e. The immediate result would ncreased rural development, would be no new departure what other nations in the .c have adopted, and continue opt, for their self-preservation, jre already is a population of ;se in New Guinea; a large er, compared with the meagre of Europeans there. They introduced during the German e. ;se Chinese have grown in ers, despite enemy occupation labaul, and will continue ising. As owners of large and I interests in commerce and and of large plantation rties, they have become tant contributors to New ia’s economy. These Chinese now be recognised as a iled New Guinea community. of the younger generation fing educated in Australia, tralia postponed immigration stralia because the politicians : day opposed it. But to-day ation is feverishly endeavour i make up the leeway lost.

Federated Malay States not have developed its well ished and profit-earning ries without the introduction hinese and Indian Tamil ers. lon’s advance did not depend ly on the efforts of the iese population. Ceylon was useful assistance by its >ours in the north. visitor to Suva readily es how Fiji has progressed outcome of migrants arriving to settle, from India.

Caledonia’s large nickel are still operated by iese labour transported there ically. Many of these people not be repatriated during War n, and so have led there, to the economic ;age of the French Territory, sh Borneo fulfils a share of bour obligations by getting from the Philippines, under ngements made by the ;ive Governments, n the Dutch Government ated its first plans for Dment of Dutch New Guinea, ended employing there a

proportion of its excess Javanese population.

Australia might follow the same policy as Holland undertook (and completed so meritoriously) in its colonisation of Java.

This —which might be described as a Help-Ourselves and Help- Others line of policy—conforms with the primary motives behind the Colombo Plan and SEATO, to both of which the Australian Government is party.

The outcome of any sound policy of introducing dependable labour to P-NG would be a feeling of much greater security than one feels at present. Another result would be that the Administration would carry out its responsibity to protect the people’s rights and property, at a much less capital cost to the parent Government.