Territories Talk-Talk

By Tolala

When the Queen Mother was in Canberra, Old TNGite, J.

C. (“Clarne”) Archer and now Administrator of N.T., was invested with the insignia of the OBE by G-G Slim.

ILIKE the way the Darwin paper (“The Northern Territory News”) describes this honour: “The Territory’s quiet Admini strator received his OBE at a special ceremony at Government House.

“Today, apart from admitting he had received the investiture and that the OBE was for ‘services rendered in the Territories dating back to 1923,’ Mr. Archer had no comment.”

TNGites will recall that “Clarrie” was always a “quiet”, silent Servant of the Public from the days he was OC Commonwealth Audit in Rabaal.

The Japs collected him as an officer of the NGVR, in which he served with credit at the landing on that memorable day in January ’42; after a period as a POW in Japan he returned to P-NG and was Chairman of the Copra Pro duction Board.

For some years he was No. 2 to Lambert in the Territories Depart ment. But that should not be held against him. In fact in the present “crisis” up in the NT his knowledge of Departmental know-how could be put to good use and, with his natural phlegm, could be respon sible for pouring oil on the troubled waters.

Not So

Tough?

Not a little has been written :n the Moresby press of late months, touching on the matter of school subsidies and the climatic effect upon adolescents in the tropics.

It has even been suggested that with the withdrawal of government subsidies the present residents (with children) will return South in order to provide their children with suitable education.

If this be so the Administration appears to be faced with a two headed problem born of an endeavour to suit all classes after “expert” opinion has been offered.

It is apparent that there will he no colour discrimination in the Administration’s educational policy; also that the sending of natives to Australia has not been a success and, ergo: secondary education must be carried on in the Terri tories.

The pre-war residents were never

faced with such problems. Some how they managed to send their off-spring to Australian schools without subsidies, where now their counterparts who are now on four figure salaries as compared with the three-figured salaries of pre-war find it difficult.

In pre-war years, I believe, their secret lay in the fact that they were prepared to curtail local expenses and abandon the race to “keep up with the Joneses”.

This, I do recall —that many of the Territory kiddies sent South for schooling proved their astonish ing brilliance. Maybe the sacrifice being made by their parents had something to do with this and urged them to put that little something extra into their work.

Surely, if it can be done on three

figured salaries, it can be done the present four? Or couj people care less?

Christian Unity

—Again

The London Missionary Socii honorary Minister in Port Mon —Rev. D. E, Ure, has taken nr task (April, PIM, p. 79) for erroneous and misleading st ment”.

He refers to my remarks ini February “Talk-Talk’ on “Chris Unity”. I am very glad he done so for, I must admit, explanation of the workings ofi LMS and its “Fundame Principles” have given me a ni deeper insight into the Socii activities and composition ths hitherto held.

My only regret is that influence of the LMS does not include the various mushn missions which have grown upc a lesser degree, certainly) throT out the Territory. But per; this may happen if and when onslaught from a non-Chris mission enters the field.

I should like to point out, H ever, to Mr. Ure, that my rem were based on an apparent B hand-out to the SMH w featured the appointment of “ Paul Parkin as minister of

The job of taking native census appears to be a never-ending one in Papua-New Guin as any patrol officer will tell you. Nobody yet knows the full population figure. This p[?] officer, among the Chimbus in the Highlands, at least makes himself comfortable. —Freddy Drill

ted Church at Port Moresby” as ig “to mark an important yard step in co-operation be en the Churches [Presbyterian, hodist and Congregational] in e Springs, Darwin and other ;s of Northern Australia”, tie United Church Board (Rev. i McKay) is quoted as saying: e venture was an indication of pirit of united endeavour in igelising the North. It provided )earhead for the growing unity reen the churches in spreading stian doctrine further afield”. f ter reading that build-up it was natural that I assumed it was iw “forward step” towards unity ngst the denominations. No tion was made of the LMS. i sorry if my assumption proved rrect; but I am more than glad low that it does not mean more petition amongst the ranks of missionaries. rward the oecumenical move t! for Mr. Ure’s dig at my hiding id a pseudonym, I can c •ter mild surprise that my y-veiled anonymity has not penetrated by the reverend ieman long ere this, e PIM has made no secret of dentity from time to time, nor e identity of “Tolala” unknown majority of the Befores —of h Mr. Ure may be numbered hough the Behinds probably In’t care less. sum up; Had the “In The ches” article in the SMH of 58, had the slightest reference ie appointment of Rev. Parkin > made in conjunction with LMS at Port Moresby there 3 have been little comment s by me, and a greatest service i have been given to the LMS the public relations officer, ying the “hand-out” to the . been more specific in his rks.

Old Stone ? old mill stone of the Marquis ay’s expedition, which stands ibaul and has oft been men i in PIM columns, is the C ; T , of interest to members of Historical Society of New in and they have organised a m an endeavour to obtain a e plaque, which was made to ar 6 original one lost during [uiries show that the late and ■ fo^£9l ten w - L - MacGowan, e PWD, arranged for the re ment back in 1951 and an was placed by the Territories 'tment with a Sydney firm in 52, executed and delivered to •epartment’s store in Pyrmont. then on its whereabouts re a mystery.

J almost inclined to the that somewhere in some pigeon-hole reposes this

object of the Historical Society’s search.

Society’s Secretary S. S. Smith queried the District Commissioner at Rabaul; but he knew naught of it, but “has no objection to the Society replacing the bronze plaque at its own expense”. But this up and-coming Society—a bit short of chips at the moment—wants to locate the plate which was delivered back in ’52. And this seems reason able enough.

Anyone with any clues could drop Secretary Smith a line.

A Sea-Going

Savvy Box

Met up with a pre-war pld-time mariner last month in the person of Captain Ludwig Klugkist, master of the triple screw NDL freighter Rothenstein, which lobbed in Sydney from West Africa (in cidentally with a load of cocoa beans). The skipper was chief officer on the old Bremerhaven and Friderun , well-known to B 4 plan ters who, free from trade agree ments, were able to ship their produce to Europe, via Hongkong, and thus make a few extra quid when the copra price was down to about a tenner a/ ton.

Rothenstein is a 7,900 ton freighter, with all mod. cons, and carries some 20 cadets. Wind jammer cadets have gone out of fashion now since the sinking of Pamir. While in Sydney the skipper appeared on TV, together with that ever-popular kiddies’

Captain Fortune, in an interview at the Seamen’s Mission.

His uncle was the master of the NDL steamer Coblenz by which I went to German NG in 1911, and was known as Captain “Savvy Box”, a Pidgin translation of the name Klugkist (klug—wise; kist— box) a name which Ludwig has inherited from those old days. (Parenthetically let me remark on the name of another German whom I knew in the early days, a Herr Meerkatz. He was known as Masta “Pussy belong Saltwater.”) He asked after many of the old B4s, from whose plantations he had collected copra in the old days.

Few of them still remained. Most of them lost in the war. Interest ing photos he showed me included one of a plane landed for the Manst Mission at Kieta, showing Bishop Wade replete in flying kit for a flight which unfortunately proved a bit of a dud.

A genial cove is Capt. Savvy Box but, unlike most German skippers, he is small of stature and drinks lolly-water.

The Rubber

Stamps

.The “bloodless revolution” in the NT for constitutional reform, which got off to a good start the middle of last month, leaves sceptic

Jeans cold: knowing as they he form of Minister Hasluck, ell as that of his henchmen te Department at Canberra. ie ijepaiuuex., NPy

* unoffiriSfrewesentativer in

cil. The Official Party naturally ites the Opposition, or peoples sentatives. t, after all, how much different Territonan Legco to the ral„ or any State House in alia? The Party in the boxrotes en bloc, at the instigation he Party Whip, and the sition—always in the minority ally—only has the satisfaction ing its views. If the debate ties embarrassing to the govent then the gag is applied. all very fine to hear about l,egco members resigning; but their successors be any better It’s alright for MHR Nelson ■eate a by-election; but what is that going to do anyone s the whole method of voting anged? The solution could be led up in two words: Secret t.

I- whprp ic thp Partv Leader to nut it to the telt ose Dower in order tha

npnr,?p’c representatives mav

accordine consciences’

according to tneir consciences. n’t let us be too optimistic • what benefits may arise out be present NT Legco revolt. , it is an indication of disival of present bureaucratic ods, but it’s going to take thing bigger to make the boys the box-seat change their ods

A Counter i rr ; tant irr,TanT Mr. Kerrs utterances at the Summer School, which could easily parently touched a tender spot even in Admimstraticm circles, f Qf 2 3 4 58, there are several pro-European statements from Government officials and even from Adm inistrator Cleland himself who • reDO rted to have deplored “irresponsible statements that the Europeans were not wanted”, “Europeans are here,” he said, “they are wanted and they will remain a s a bulwark in the develop ment of the Territory.” He then quo ted Minister Hasluck’s remarks w hich, he claimed, received little publicity, but encouraged European settlement as only by that means, with investment, technical skill and managerial ability, could be attained the rapid results so essential to solve economic problems.

The Administrator also com mented on the “dramatic increase to private enterprise” of land grants totalling 369 sq. miles for rural industry during the last six years.

Kinds words are more than coronets, and no doubt the Euro- Peans will get a certain satisfaction from this promised change in the official attitude . Time will prove the sincerity of such official pronouncements, uyu v ijNCP According to a New York press cable, Australian representative Kevin Kelly recently told the UN Committee on information from

non-governing territories that Papua, considering its terrain and isolation, had made very “consider able progress”. And the whole area would’ be brought under UN administration control by next year.

Why this submission to UN of a report 6n the Australian Terri tory of Papua? It’s not a Trust Territory.

A report had also been made, for the first time, for the Cocos Island territory, he said.

Why not also provide the UN with reports on the ACT, NT and Norfolk Island? They are all non governing territories.

Dental

Survey

I see where Dentist J. F. Williams, of NZ, is making a dental survey of natives of the younger age groups throughout the Territory and reckons their teeth so far are not so perfect as is the general belief, due primarily to the change of food from their own to that of Europeans.

Another of the Whiteman’s burdens the rising generation must bear.

Reminds me of a well-known medico’s remarks some years ago that the reasons for such good teeth amongst natives were: chew ing betel-nut and not eating hot food. And he could have something there, too.

P-NG is getting more civilised than it once was, but there are some services that seem as far off as ever —such as postal deliveries, and grocery deliveries. But this chap in Lae seems happy enough as he brings the market goods home for the Missis.