From Notes Made In The Territory

New Guinea Diary

By R. W. Robson

Those Down-Trodden Slaves IY host in a modest Rabaul home referred to statements made re cently by an Australian politict t who thought native servants re oppressed and underpaid: T pay my house-boy (a good all mder) 50/- per week, and all md. ‘He is very fond of the cinema, d goes once or twice a week. On )se evenings he pays 3/- each y for a taxi and 3/- admittance— • altogether.”

Finschhaven Now Only a Name on a Map STRONG body of official and . semi-official opinion favoured Finschhaven (on the south tern corner of Huon Peninsula, the New Guinea mainland) as s capital of P-NG, after the war. might have gone there, had it ) been for the fact that Port resby is in Australian Territory ipua) and Finschhaven in the isteeship, of very uncertain future, [his information was given me in haul lately by Mr. Dudley Jones, o had been making some re rches. •re-war, Finschhaven was only a ssion-station, prettily situated on rery good harbour. In the early frman time”, it became admin ative headquarters; but bad fever ve the Germans from there, as lad driven them from Madang. tetween 1942 and 1945, the corn ed Navies constructed a large I busy naval station at Finsch en; and the very numerous build s, with seaport and airport llities, that were there in 1945 Id have housed a large admin ative centre. It would have had advantage over Moresby, in that s close to the centre of the vast ninistrative area of Papua and v Guinea; whereas Moresby, lough safe on Australian land, l very long way from the eastern 1 western ends of the Trust Terri h k few Education officials occupy acres of buildings which once ised Navy personnel and equip at; but Finschhaven now is little re than a name on the map.

Cocoa-Bean Thieves

\ recent months there has been a great deal of petty thieving of cocoa beans, not only from the wing number of native cocoa citations, but also from the native (aenteries.

Main trouble lies in the multi plicity of small Chinese traders.

They will buy any produce—includ ing cocoa beans—in small quantities and no questions asked. ’ pe Atlministration views this de velopment with concern, and now is d“|to g °thmf e ’ W ‘ th v ew ro discouraging thefts.

Native Ex-Servicemen

in RSL AN important development in the Returned Soldiers League move ment in recent months in Papua and New Guinea is the establish ment of a branch called the Native Ex-Servicemen’s Association.

It probably will have many hundreds of members, and its formation has been welcomed both by the RSL executive and by most of the older residents of the Territories.

The natives concerned show a keen interest in the organisation, and a pride in membership.

The Rabaul branch of the native organisation now has 127 members; and they have contributed a good

proportion of the several hundreds of pounds needed to build clubrooms.

The building is nearly ready for the official opening. The Rabaul branch, and the club to house same, are being warmly sup ported by Rabaul re sidents generally.

Another Old-Timer Sells to Chinese

WHEN our o 1 d

friend, Mr. E. P, H i t ch c ock, in 1950, bought Beaver Plantation (on Djaul Island, north of Kavieng) from Mrs.

Harris, he planned to remain tfiere in definitely. But it has

not worked out the way he planned.

First, he had difficulties in regard J itle - Man y documents were lost ln the war, and the present genera tion of officialdom is not helpful towards “rich” planters anyway. For health reasons, Ernie Hitchcock had to spend part of his time in Aus tralia: and the plantation did not benefit much from remote control, Real trouble developed in main taining a labour supply, however.

Under post-war native-labour laws, ifc costs £2B/10/- per head to land raw labourers on Kavieng, for transfer to Djaul. After that, about twelve months' training is needed, them into shape, so that

This crane, built at northern end of Rabaul harbour during the Japanese occupation, was recently demolished by Mr. Keith Warren for a Rabaul salvage contractor. It has yielded about 100 tons of scrap.

Photo: C. H. Meen.

their work will pay for their cost.

The new labour laws provide that the employer may not keep them for more than 18 to 24 months after their engagement; and then they must be returned to their villages.

Mr. Hitchcock told me, in Rabaul, that he had just sold the famous old plantation to the Chinese for £35,000; and he would soon be leav

ing, permanently.

What happened to Mr. Hitchcock is happening all over the Territory.

There does not seem to be much future there for European coconut planters.

Wau Has No Statue for

Mr. McAdam

THE official announcement that the Forestry land on the banks of the Bulolo River will remain Forestry land, and not be converted to agricultural leases, has been re ceived badly by the residents of Wau.

“We heard the Administrator s promise, at the opening of the Wau Show last December, that this agri cultural land would be made avail able, and this was an important thing for Wau,” said Mr. N. Owers.

“Given the land, there was nothing to prevent Wau changing over from a goldmining centre to a solid little agricultural centre.

“But we calculated without Mr.

McAdam (Director of Forests). Mr.

McAdam expressed opposition.

Someone came from somewhere to say that the land was not suitable for agriculture. And so the Admin istrator’s promise was cancelled.

“But there still are a score of people ready and willing to take over the land for agriculture, in spite of the experts. We know what

that land will do.

“The whole of the land, on be sides of the river, now is Forest: Forestry has absolutely Strang!

Wau.

“These pines will grow anywh« in this region, over hundreds square miles. Yet they hang on

land which could be easily and profitably used to save Wau.

“In Wau’s eyes, the Administrator is under the thumb of the tenacious and stubborn Director of Forests.

Which is not quite fair to Mr.

McAdam, who has done a wonderful job in his own Department, in forest survey and afforestation. But he does, unfortunately, create the im pression that, if he were God, his be loved trees would have first priority in all vacant areas.

"A Soldier of the Indian Army"

HOW many people know the history of that quiet, well-cared for section of the War Cemetery in Lae, where there are no less than 400 headstones, inscribed simply, A Soldier of the Indian Army, 1939- 1945, Is Honoured Here”?

When the Japanese so treacher ously attacked all Southeast Asia and South West Pacific countries in 1941-42, they captured thousands of Indian soldiers, then in the service of the British in Hongkong, Singa pore, Malaya and Burma. If it is possible, they treated them with greater cruelty than they did the Europeans.

Shiploads of these Indian soldiers were taken south to New Guinea and they were forced to labour as slaves of the Japs, just as the Aus tralians of the Bth Division were forced to labour on the Burma Rail- W When the Japanese were defeated and driven out, the Indians were rescued; but meanwhile a very large proportion of them had succumbed to starvation, cruelty and lack of medical care.

Wherever possible, their bodies were given decent burial, and their graves were honoured in the war cemetery in the manner shown; but it was not possible to separately identify them in the 400 headstones.

No less than 15,000 Australian servicemen are named on headstones In the three great war cemeteries of Port Moresby, Lae and Bitapaka.

Value of Highlands Coffee

"TTOW much coffee is being pro- Jl duced now in this Highlands District?” I asked a knowledge able man, in Goroka.

“Don’t know —but it’s increasing all the time,” he answered. “Colyers (Colyer Watson & Co.) shipped out 60 tons in the past year, and they don’t handle the lot.”

Sixty tons at £6OO per ton repre sents £360,000. Quite a bit of income for hard-working Goroka!

Russians Inspect Rabaul's Volcanoes RABAUL residents were intrigued by the behaviour of the people on a Russian scientific ship ! which visited that New Guinea centre in July.

The Russians seemed intensely in terested in the volcanoes, and they produced an English-speaking pro fessor who interviewed Vulcanologist Taylor. The latter went to much trouble to answer innumerable questions about the behaviour of the forces which keep Rabaul more or less a-quiver. The Russians also, surprisingly, produced three Pidgin speaking experts.

But when Mr. Taylor accepted their invitation to visit their ship, and wanted himself to ask questions about that large floating laboratory, there was no speaker of English available. A courteous scientist, who spoke only Russian, showed the vulcanologist over the ship; but all the information he got was rather

sketchily conveyed in the language of signs.

Native Technicians Produced Expensively in Lae Unannounced, i wandered into the Lae Technical Training Centre, where 40 carefully selected native youths are being maintained for two years, while they are given instruction in various handicrafts by a European staff under the direction of Mr. Ray Oberg, of the Education Department.

The school, started 15 months ago, is housed in an impressive and ex pensive half-circle of buildings.

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It is an interesting experiment, with a big over-lay of optimism.

These are well-behaved lads, alert and intelligent; but the background of their family life is so primitive that they are under a big handicap when they enter upon the two years’ training as carpenters, motor mechanics, plumbers and so forth.

They may become “useful boys” after a couple of years’ tuition; but few of them will be classed as master-technicians. For these youths, it is a long, hard, up-hill pull to citizenship in the modern world.

The thing that most impressed me in this Technical School was the apparent lack of co-ordination be tween Administration Departments.

Here are a number of skilled technicians (teachers), directing a labour force of at least 40 natives (students), equipped with (my guess), £30,000 or £40,000 worth of workshop equipment—half a dozen big lathes, and all kinds of high class tools and machines. They could build tables and desks and cup boards, give shape to drainage gadgets, service motor cars.

But I learned, in reply to direct luestions, that they do none of these things. The Administration, when it needs furniture, or plumbing, or car service, goes to private enter prise, and pays top rates. Which, of course, is a very good thing for private enterprise.

"Cash Down" is Not Encouraged [WAS standing beside a salesman in a Territory store. A European was examining a refrigerator, the marked-up price of which was ElB7/10/-.

“How much will I get off for cash?” asked the prospective customer.

“Nothing,” replied the salesman.

The inquirer departed.

Incident quoted to indicate the abundance of money circulating in the Territory.

Reflections of a Gloomy

Taxpayer

DO you know what the Adminis tration now is planning to spend on a team of copra in spectors?” asked a Port Moresby resident; and answered his own ijuestion: “No less than £35,000 per annum. And these people will not be under the control of the Copra Marketing Board.”

And then —it was just after 4 p.m. —we both turned and thoughtfully looked out over Konedobu, which carries the great majority of the Administration buildings. The home ward rush was just beginning, and it was a remarkable sight. Every second European seemed to possess a car.

“There must be thousands of them,” remarked the Moresby re sident. “They tell me that there are between 240 and 250 Europeans now in the Department of Agricul ture alone.”

I said nothing. But, as a reluc tant payer of Australian income tax, I thought of the eight or ten million pounds per annum which Australia makes as a free gift to this country.

And I wondered what Treasurer Fadden would have for me in his Budget speech on September 3. (LATER: Nothing. I’ve iust heard Sir Arthur’s speech. But the Terri tories get the same generous bonus).

Australian Depts. Evade P-NG Laws A SCANDALOUS thing permitted by the Australian Government in the Territories of Papua and New Guinea is the immunity from minor prosecution enjoyed by the Commonwealth Departments operat ing in the Territories.

There are a number of such De partments—especially Public Works and Civil Aviation. They cannot be sued in a Territory court. The only way in which legal proceed ings can be taken against them is by an expensive action through the High Court of Australia.

If one of their very numerous trucks collides with a Territory car, the latter’s owner really is up against it—he must either accept the com pensation which the Commonwealth Department chooses to offer, or undertake lengthy and costly pro ceedings in the High Court.

Territorians tell me that this condition has been used by the Departmental czars on various occasions to dodge contractual obli gations.

It is said that the law now is

going to be amended. But the Aus tralian Departments have been operating in P-NG for many years; and the fact that the anomaly has existed for so long gives one the measure of Canberra efficiency.

Concerning the Loyal Service

Medal THEY told me in New Guinea— as part of a sort of hate cam paign against Minister Hasluck —that the lettering has been altered upon the Loyal Service Medals which are handed out to New Guineans in recognition of good service to the Europeans, and especially to the Administration.

They said that the medal once made it clear that the decoration was given by the Throne, or the Governor-General of Australia; but that this has been altered, so that the donor now appears to be the Minister for Territories.

I hope it is not true. They were coy about it—didn’t know—when I inquired at Konedobu.

What does it say on these medals, anyway?

Where is that Expensive Film?

WHY has the film covering the visit of the Duke of Edinburgh to Papua and New Guinea at the end of 1956 been suppressed?

It was organised and made by Australian Commonwealth people, under official orders. Those who should know say it is an excellent film —plenty of interest and liveli ness and colour, and a worthy pre sentation of the Territories at their best. Thousands of pounds of Aus tralian money was spent on it.

The story goes that in some way it offended the petty czars of Can

berra. and they decided that it should not be made available for general exhibition.

Perhaps there is a more reasonable explanation; but Territorians are always ready to believe the worst of Canberra.

Whence Came the First

Highlands Trout?

IT looks as if trout, slowly but surely are being acclimatised in the mountain streams of the New Guinea mainland: and now there is a real probability that the New Guinea Highlands presently will attract anglers from overseas.

I am told that the first man to experiment with the introduction of trout was Sir Hudson Fysh, founder of Qantas. Many years ago, he put some youngsters into the Baiune stream, a tributary of the Bulolo River (which runs into the Markham): and they have become established there. There now is a hydro-electric station on the Baiune; and it is reported that the trout have taken up quarters in the water races leading to the station.

Sir Edward Hallstrom was in, next; he introduced trout to the streams around his famous husbandry ex perimental station at Nondugl, in between the Eastern and Western Highlands—and they also have taken hold.

He Called the PIINA "The Blackbirders' Bible"!

THIS happened very recently in New Ireland.

Seven gentlemen from overseas, strong believers in internationalism,

engaged in what is called "2 sociological study of the Trusteeship Territory”, and led by a certain Dr G , sat down around a hospitable luncheon table.

The table had shelves built in underneath, for books and papers Dr. G pulled out some periodicals

rhe Pacific Islands Monthly lay itop of the heap.

“Ha”, remarked Dr. G , “the Blackbirders’ Bible!”

A man who heard the remark told ne about it, in Rabaul.

It is an interesting sidelight upon he mentality and thinking of the heorists and planners who swarm nto Trusteeship New Guinea in hese cooler months.

They make the same aimless per mbulations; ask the old-hands the ame sort of silly questions; and ipparently all get a kind of ex itement in trying to psycho-analyse hese primitive natives.

The Pacific Islands Monthly, nowing Pacific Islands natives in 11 the 16 Territories from Western lew Guinea to Tahiti—their limita ions, their merit®, their possibilities, nd the need to protect and guide hem—regards the activities of these worthy scientists as generally use ;ss, and frequently mischievous, and as said so, for 20 years.

The PIM usually derides these expert” surveys because they so arely are based on practical know jdge and experience.

The scientists, in their turn, sneer t the PIM because it tries to keep ach discussions down-to-earth, and nacademic. 2 2 Years to Establish a

Staging Hospital

CHE recent history of Sio, in the Huon Peninsula (Finschhaven area) is a good example of what rivate enterprise suffers under administration methods.

A good type of native comes from io intelligent, industrious and eady to hire his labour out to the ppe of planter who knows how to feat native workers. It has been favourite ground for experienced lan ter-recruiters like Jack Thurston nd Bernard Parer.

Following experience with repatri ted Highlands’ labourers, the Ad linistration found that natives re aming from coastal districts could et rid of their malaria if put into staging camp, or hospital, above he malarial mosquito line, and iven treatment.

The best Sio natives apparently ome from the mountains there; nd they often returned with tialaria. The Administration de ided to close the area to recruiting or 18 months, so that a suitable lospital might be built, for the reatment of returning labourers.

The recruiters naturally cursed — •ut agreed it was fair enough, and pent elsewhere.

The 18 months passed. Adminis ration, without explanation, ex ended the ban for six months.

The two years expired last July 11. The recruiters prepared to go n to Sio. Down came another ban, or another six months.

Explanation: Some blundering official built the staging camp hospital in the wrong place. The spot was malarial—it has been abandoned, so the “hospital” can be established higher up.

On December 31, the area will have been closed for 2 h years, simply in order to do a job that, under other conditions, could have been completed and tested in six months.