Are Ex-Soldiers
pp. 136-137 · Read in the full issue
Frank Discussion In N-Guinea
Helped To Settle?
FIIHE question of whether the X Papua and New Guinea Admin istration, as a matter of policy, is in favour of European soldier settlement in the Territories, has been discussed in statements made by the Assistant Administrator (Dr John Gunther) and the President of the Territories Branch of the RSL, the Hon. R. F. Bunting, MLC At the recent Hobart Conference of the RSL, Mr. Bunting said, quite bluntly, that the Australian author ities, despite their protestations, hac done nothing worth noting to assist the settlement of suitable ex servicemen in NG. He said the Gov ernment, in its eagerness to safe! guard P-NG for unborn generation! of natives, was discouraging Euro pean settlement and “treating th( Territories like an anthropological zoo”. {PIM, Nov., p. 30-31).
On November 1, Dr. Gunther dei dared {PIM, Nov., p. 31) that thj Administration policy was to safej guard the land rights of natives' but that, “as Bunting well knows] wherever land was available an( could be bought without causing il effects to native owners, it wa] bought and released to farmers, j On November 15, Mr. Bunting made this reply; MY appeal at Congress (said Mi Bunting) was for a assisted Land Settlemenj Scheme similar to the scheme ii operation throughout the States ii Australia. To this end we have beej fighting for upwards of 10 yearj without result.
Contrary to Dr. Gunther’s as sertion, I made it clear to Congresi that land was being made available to settlers. At no time did I sugj gest that the Administration ha( not, in certain cases, given prefen ence to returned men.
It must be obvious that these cod cessions are of minor consequent as against a financially assisted scheme, particularly for those wla are engaged in agricultural pursuit! who are now finding it extremefl difficult to keep going. These mejj must wait for the results of thei labours until the land becomes prd ductive.
The suggestion that the Admin! istration, through the Commod wealth Government, has beef sympathetic towards returned me! in the Territory is, to my mind, ar exaggeration. Dr. Gunther ha! stated “some scheme to assist their is constantly under examination”,] As this state of “constant examim ation” has continued since the enc
the war the value of it must be hnfully apparent.
The only absolute Soldier Prefer ice to my knowledge has been; • The sale of about 17 Expro iated coconut properties which id been previously “passed in”, ilues oj the properties declared ' the Custodians proved altogether cessive.
At a meeting arranged by the istodians, I, together with others, otested at such values. I was in rmed that the basis of my argu tnt was groundless, since hundreds returned men had applied at the sessed valuation.
Subsequently, it was established at only about 20 veterans had plied ; and, ultimately, when ocations were made, many pro rties had not even been tendered • Irk. the W.au area, ex-service m applied for agricultural blocks d were led to believe that the id in question would be made ailable. After about 4 years, the Iministration has decided against e proposal to release these blocks.
Ihess two examples illustrate the suit of having “some scheme con intly under examination”. This is e total value of the consideration ren to soldier settlers, so far as am aware.