[?] Trade Unionism

[?]Ely Argument In

[?]Oney Newspaper

[?] Trade Unionism [?] N. Guinea Natives

HENEVER a c 1 a s s-conscious trade unionist of Australia wishes to make a stir—and ;ing a stir is part of the tech e of climbing from precarious e-unionism to the comparative ry of professional politics—he on an acc about the “exploita ’ of native labourers in New ica. He usually insists that the way of saving these helpless tures from greedy private enter is to encourage them to form 3 unions. ere was one such newspaper mstration, by an ex-member of P-NG public service, during while Mr. Michael J. Leahy, of g, New Guinea, was in Sydney, iple who know the ex-civil ser would not take his ebullitions iisly. Unfortunately, Australian s do not know the gentleman, might accept him as an n-ity.

He has to be answered; and “Mick” Leahy took on the job with a zest that won considerable applause. In the correspondence columns of Sydney Morning Herald he wiped the floor with the trade union advocate.

Then the editor used his arbitrary pencil, and closed the correspond ence, leaving the trade unionist with the last word. This was “Mick”

Leahy’s reply, which was in the post, but shut out by editorial dictum; THERE is a process of change in New Guinea and that process will go on for centuries.

Brain, not brawn, runs the world to-day, to a greater degree than ever before. The New Guinea native has not — and. will not have for centuries—the mentality to compete against or cope with the brain of more mature races.

To “unionise” him, he would have to be divorced from his native way of life, and become dependent on outsiders.

Africa, to-day, would be very happy to get all her indigenous peoples back into the village life the New Guinea native enjoys to day.

A parallel to the labour set-up in New Guinea to-day would be to tell all the school children in Australia that they could go to school only if they wanted to go. Should they de cide to go, and, while there, abscond with the school equipment, that also would be in order.

How can you unionise them?

Control by the United Nations— that pernicious body of armchair advisers representing, with few ex ceptions, some of the most backward, poverty-stricken and revolution riddled countries in the world— should never have been inflicted on New Guinea’s primitive culture. Now, we are used as a political football’, kicked, oxound by colour-conscious countries interested only in friction, not freedom.

There is little need for white trade-unionism in New Guinea.

Eighty per cent, of the employed are Administration employees, and they ham their own Union.

As far as I know, most of the other whites in jobs are enjoying wages and conditions far in excess of their counterparts in Australia, who are working under union con ditionj.

The only people in New Guinea I could suggest who need unionism are tne Inspired workers, getting a few pounds a week, whom the missionary societies are exploiting in commercial enterprise, in competition with the uninspired and highly-paid workers of private industry. t Three copra sheds and a bulk store at Rotuma were burnt down recently.

Damage was estimated at between £25,000 and £30,000. The buildings were the property of Burns Philp (SS) Co. Ltd.