Be Available

Ands Policy

Ended

Rector Says More Areas Soon

Be Available

BY

R. W. Robson

; journal is now —and has m for years—critical of the tem of land settlement which reaucratic czars of Canberra ’astened upon the Territory aa and New Guinea, teiieve that, if P-NG is to be [itico-economic factor that it be in the South Pacific’s e defence against Asia, P-NG ave a hard core of European ent.

District Administration ; of P-NG, if left alone, ffectively influence and shape ect the colonising impulse of Australians, who are eager ; “places of their own”; and, litted and encouraged, would o Papua and New Guinea, istrict officials should see e Australian settlers are of it type to associate with the and to show the natives, nple, how to become peasant ; and planters. ;in lies the only future for that can justify Australia’s us annual expenditure on Titory. The job should be out by the trained and il men on the spot, the Canberra bureaucrats, ted by an inexperienced with idealistic leanings, will me of such a system, settlement, such as it is, is arried on (and has been for three years) by centralised under an impersonal directed from Canberra — who are most conscientious a are experienced mostly in an land administration, and ttle of Territories’ conditions 5 of the very peculiar aims Australian settlement policies ? supposed to be implement 3-NG. * * * g had a look around the y in December and not mpressed with the settle zcord of the last couple of sought an interview with rector of Lands, Mr. D. E.

's. I was very courteously re and given most of the in m I asked for. The follow summary: Y applicant for land is ?d before a Lands Board — same as in Australia—and ;d by senior officials, who the Director of Agriculture, ;entative of Native Affairs; sctor of Forests, when neces r. Macinnis (as chairman) ; tenever the Board sits out • t Moresby, one non-official

person.

Mr. Macinnis referred to the lan Downs system. (Mr. Downs was District Commissioner in the High lands, and his system of selecting settlers was claimed by the PIM to have been nearer the ideal than the present bureaucratic and im personal system). Mr. Macinnis said there was not sufficient examina tion of the individual —often the first man to come along got the available land; and 50 per cent, of those who were put in by Downs left the blocks allotted to them.

Many newcomers head towards Gorcka —they think they can make a fortune growing coffee. The great majority have neither expedience nor finance. They cannot under stand that from £15,000 to £20,000 is required, if a worth-while coffee plantation is to be established in the Highlands.

Even if the natives inform in dividuals that they are prepared to alienate their lands, they are not allowed to do so without a most careful check. The Medical De partment’s work in reducing child mortality and disease is build ing up population, and that future population needs land.

So far as the Highlands is con cerned, the great majority simply seek a nice little coffee plantation close to an established centre.

The latest maps of the High lands areas show that, so far as land settlement is concerned, they

have reached saturation. The natives are coming into the picture there — and they must have first call. A Highlands native the other day sold his coffee for £3OO.

BUT there are lands becoming available in other Districts for cocoa, coconuts, rubber, graz ing, general agriculture. The Warengoi area, at the back of Rabaul, is coming in, and will be open for settlement without racial discrimination —if applicants have resources and planting know-how.

Those Warengoi blocks will certainly attract the Tolais, a native people there who have made remarkable progress as planters.

Mr. Macinnis made the following statements: There is no such thing as dis posal to the highest tenderer —we dispose of blocks according to the suitability of the applicants.

When we admit Europeans, we must think of their influence on natives. There are men now estab lished here who ought never to have been admitted to the Territory.

The Lands Board is most in terested in the development of the cattle industry: and we are happy to report that Mr. Webb, represent ing important Queensland cattle interests, has been examining 12,000 acres beyond Fairfax Harbour (only a few miles from Port Moresby) with a view to introducing cattle.

We made 23,000 acres available to the Atkinson cattle interests at Gusap (Markham-Ramu ivide), and we think they are certain to make a success. Adjoining that, we have 38,000 acres of pastoral land open for application at the moment.

Any block of land —agricultural or pastoral—is made available for

(Continued foot of col., next page)

3n, unless it is considered e. is—or soon will be—cocoa lilable at Warengoi (near I), Popendetta (northeast md Abau (Papua).

Crts The Minister

icinnis concluded: “After a erience, I will say that in ion the policy being fol the Minister in selecting or settlement is the best policy for this country.”