[?]Ssion And Private
pp. 75-77 · Read in the full issue
[?] ry-Farm Argument [?] N. Guinea
Enterprise
Back in the days of German ninistration of New Guinea, 13, to he exact), the Lutheran \ngelical Educational and Medical sionary Society was granted \e 1,200 acres of land, outside \, on which to carry on its mission vities. In 1957, the Mission lied for an additional 100-odd is.
R. MICK LEAHY, a dairy farmer, of Zenag, objected to the grant being made and objection was upheld. The sion was told to re-apply for a Her area. tiis the Mission did, and the lication was heard before the r Guinea Land Board at Lae on nary 9. r. Leahy was again vehement in objection to the land grant be made to the Mission. : the hearing, Mr. Leahy pointed that when the Mission was ited the 1,200 acres at Malahang, ?as granted to the Missionary ety for evangelical, educational medical purposes. Both the ve owners and the then Gov lent assumed it would be used those purposes. t was never intended to be a V farm or beef project, used ;xpl o i t poorly-paid, inspired gelists in commercial enterprises h are in no way related to their s ambitions”, said Mr. Leahy, le point of the objection irently is that the Lutheran ;ational and Medical Missionary sty is the registered proprietor of pical Dairies”, and “Dairies” is tiasised. The present dairy rating over 700 acres of their ) and operated by Mission :ers whose wages and conditions not comparable with those paid )rivate enterprise, has already undercutting local dairy prices, hey say they want the extra for dairying. This implies more es, in which case I cannot com and I would have to look else •e for a means of livelihood”, Mr. Leahy.
It was noted that other commercial activities of the Mission include butchering, native trade stores and trading, buying in bulk and selling in retail—all presumably in competition with private enterprise.
Mr. Leahy has stated that the claim made in the South Pacific Post of June 26, by Mr. Kellart, of Chimbu, that the Mission Aviation Fellowhsip facilities were being abused, has never been denied.
During the hearing, Mr. Leahy said: “It is always assumed, unless specifically stated otherwise in the application, that when a Missionary Society applies for land, that land is to be used for evangelical, educational and medical purposes.
“The Malahang grant of 1,200
acres has not been used for that purpose only. It has become a com mercial enterprise, and has pushed out the evangelical, educational and medical ideals which influenced the grant, making it necessary to ask for more land which will—when the expanding interests of the Mission’s commercial enterprises warrant it— become another step in the eventual commercialising of that Mission area, and more land will be required —and so on”, “I contend”, said Mr. Leahy, “that the Mission work is a cover-up for development and expansion of com mercial activities, and that 1,200 acres of freehold Mission land is more than enough for the evangelical, educational and medical activities of
s Lutheran Mission, and that the Dlication for additional land mid be refused”. n February the Land Board ommended that the Mission jlication be refused, “as the land s not available.” t is understood that the natives used to sell the land, which com sed about 210 hectares.