[?]O P-Ng Land Settlement Scheme And

Sydney RSL glacial Hits Out

Poor Agricultural Service

The Commonwealth Government and the P-NG Administration ave no interest and no intention of making it possible for ex-servicemen o settle on the land in the Territory under any Government scheme, dr. W. Yeo, president of the RSL in New South Wales, told PIM ecently.

R. YEO, representing the National Council of the RSL, went to P-NG in June to find among other things, ex-service i’s problems in any scheme of 1 settlement. e was startled by what he learned

i and saw at first hand.

Mr. Yeo was a successful farmer ! in NSW before he became president of the RSL in that State. He gave up farming to devote his time to the interests of the

Rsl.

He said on his return to Sydney that two matters which had an ad verse effect on

husbandry in P-NG amazed

5 The lack of any attempt to adicate pests attacking cocoa and coffee plantations in the trkham Valley and Goroka ?as; » The appalingly low quality of ;tle from Government stations ered at an auction sale at roka. remarked that the cattle sale, irst held for many years, had arranged, at a cost of thousands >unds, to coincide with a visit :e Minister for Territories (Mr.

Hasluck). e cattle offered would not have allowed into an Australian ard. ne brought up to £ls, yet the of air freighting them to ka was many times more than 'erring to land settlement, Mr. said that the disposal of any which became available was y by tender. This meant that people with money could r. 3 man who had been in the :es for five or six years was illy precluded because during lervice he did not have the :e to acquire capital, le Commonwealth Government efused to advance one penny

per land settlement in Papua-New Guinea to those men who served in the forces,” Mr. Yeo said.

It could not raise the argument that finance was not available be cause it had provided all the money for war service land settlement in Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania.

“It is to be regretted that in the original scheme of land settlement, Papua-New Guinea was not in cluded as an ‘Agency’ State like the throe I mentioned,” he said.

Agency States merely acted as custodians for the Commonwealth, while the other three States (NSW, Vic., and Q’ld.) provided their own money for war service land settle ment and the Commonwealth pro vided sustenance until the farms became payable units.

Mr. Yeo said that the claims by

Mr. W. Yeo.

Administration that there was and available was denied every re he went in the Territory. 1 RSL sub-brances were of opinion that ample land could nade available without any in jrencs with the rights of the yes. addition, the settlement of tpeans among the natives could help but be of benefit to the r as far as improved methods jriculture were considered, hat is apparently not considered the Administration,” Mr. Yeo ie Commonwealth’s claim that 3S holding and improving land he natives was absolutely false, Yeo continued. As examples he the Government Experiment a Plantation in the Markham y, and coffee plantations in and id Goroka. 10a trees in the Markham y were falling down and dying ise they were attacked by a The grub infestation was ant throughout the plantation :he knowledge that it was there discouraging to other cocoa ers in the area, ither grub had attacked coffee s in the Goroka area, lere has been no attempt by dministration to send qualified lologists into, these two areas and out ways and means of com l these pests which are having verse effect on production,” Mr. aid.

LOther matter of concern to ex emen is the Administration’s al waste on their cattle ns. lat these alleged cattle stations osting the Territory is any i guess—but it is probably many mds a year. e benefit derived from these nment stations by those who to raise cattle in the Territory ictically nil. The money that been wasted could have ately set up those who wished on to the land without any to the Australian taxpayer,” ;d Mr. Yeo.

YEO said the future was a matter of concern to all Euro peans. People were not keen sst money in the Territory be they were given no security, n who are anxious to settle in -New Guinea and make their there are frustrated because io not know if they will be for 10, 15 or 20 years,” he personal opinion, after see le natives and making in , is that it will be 50 years natives, especially those in

lighlands, could effectively

themselves,

s Territory of Papua-New

i, and Dutch New Guinea, are on as the bulwarks against

danger from the north. The natives certainly could not resist any in vasion, therefore Europeans should be encouraged to go there and settle, but that will need a com plete change in the attitude of the Commonwealth Government.

“I do not suggest for one moment that the natives should be unjustly treated. But I believe that we can hold Papua-New Guinea for many years to come only by encouraging European settlement.

“Ex-servicemen and other Euro peans think that the Common wealth’s vacillating policy should end, and that the United Nations should be told, ‘What we have we hold’, and that intervention by UN in the control of Papua-New Guinea should be no longer tolerated.”

Mr. Yeo said that there were a number of ex-servicemen in Papua- New Guinea who had placed them selves on the land without any financial assistance from the Gov ernment.

A number of those men to-day were in precarious circumstances through lack of capital to adequately work their holdings to full capacity.

The Administration should give serious consideration to assisting these men financially, at a reason able rate of interest, similar to the rates charged on the mainland.

Native Association

Mr. Yeo intends to appeal to all RSL sub-branches in Australia to help the Papua-New Guinea RSL to provide club rooms with all amenities for native ex-servicemen’s associations.

One of Mr. Yeo’s briefs while in the Territory was to find out some thing about forming native ex servicemen’s associations.

He attended a meeting of the

Rabaul Sub-branch of the RSL I which a former P-NG Branch officig Mr. George Whittaker, spoke 1 native ex-servicemen.

Mr. Whittaker had told the native that the RSL would assist tha with any problems, and emphasis! the need for them to retain thl association with Australia.

Mr. Whittaker had also points out the benefits that could accrl from Australia, as against whi might happen if another count] took control of Papua-New Guina Mr. Yeo said that the RSL in Nq Guinea was deserving of commends tion for its initiative in setting 1 these native ex-servicemen’s assi ciations.