Tax-Gathering Expedition

Loss of Face for P-NG Calamity Crowns New Britain

The claim by the Papua-New Guinea Administration that the two Navuneram natives who were killed in the tax-clash, on August 3, were shot by ricochet bullets is not likely to get the Administration out of the trouble in which it currently finds itself.

Navuneram is a small village, population about 200, in the centre of the Gazelle Peninsula area of New Britain. This is the history of the village’s dispute with the Administration over non-pay ment of head-tax.

A year ago, the Administration introduced a head-tax of £2 per annum on every male, irrespective of race, over the age of 18. On latest estimates they expect to get about £llO,OOO from it in its first year of operation about £15,000 from Europeans and Asians, and the rest from natives.

The tax was condemned at the outset by the Europeans of the Territory, mainly on the ground that it was unfair to expect the natives to pay the same amount of tax as Europeans. But the tax went on and most natives, who failed to understand what it was about, paid up. The more unsophisticated the natives, the more easily the £2 was extracted from them.

They didn’t know why they had to pay, but the Government said they had to, so they did.

Tolai Tax-Dodgers

The most stubborn resistance to the tax has been in the Tolai section of New Britain (but there has been some also in Bougainville) where some villages, including Taviliu and Navuneram said they would not pay up. Some, after a long period of passive resistance, paid up about two months ago. The Administration then issued a s^ n i^ ons . for the tax against each oi 22 natives of Navuneram.

The 22 tax-dodgers ignored these, out two of their number unwarily rode their bicycles into Rabaul and when they were told that the bicycles would be seized if they did hot pay up, they paid.

The Administration then decided and execute the warrants against the remaining 20 defendants --and this a patrol did on July 30, Navuneram? W6nt deCidedly to the The patrol entered a house of a man and took possession of a bicycle.

The villagers then chased the patrol and took back the bicycle.

The Administrator of New Guinea

then told New Britain District Com missioner, Mr. J. R. Foldi, to “use whatever force was necessary to col lect the tax.”

On August 3, a patrol, equal to about the total male population of the village, and consisting of 15 Europeans (including District Com missioner Foldi, P-NG Police Com missioner, Mr. C. Normoyle) and 80 native police went to Navuneram.

The natives were told that the whole village was to “line for a census” but the natives refused to

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do this. However, a parley evidently took place and lasted for about an hour before the villagers began to throw stones. After the stone throw ing had gone on for some time, the police were “ordered to fire over the heads” of the Navunerams.

One can imagine the consternation in the ranks of the official party when, the smoke of battle having cleared, two corpses and one native shot in the foot, were revealed.

No one imagines that the killings were deliberate. But no one—least of all those most involved will have any delusions as to the serious loss of face it has caused the Ad ministration.

Difficult People

It would be a mistake to imagine that the Navuneram villagers were Striking a blow for freedom or that they had nailed their colours to the mast over a belief that there should be no taxation without representa tion. With Tolai people it is never as simple as that.

This evidently was the time for the Navuneram people to be dif ficult; but plenty of other Tolai groups have been unco-operative and difficult before them —the Raluanas just a few years ago when they refused to set up Native Local Government Councils; and others before that.

The reasons given by these people to the patrol as to why they didn’t intend paying the tax, is ample in dication of their present mood and their temperament. They didn’t want any of the services offered by the Administration—not market ing facilities not schooling for their children nor hospital treatment for their sick.

It would be a mistake also to imagine that the Navunerams have the support of the other Tolais in their present spell of awkwardness.

At the Legislative Council in May, John Vuia, New Britain native mem ber, said they (and he meant all the Tolai tax-dodgers) had just got swelled headed because they had got away with so much and some thing ought to be done about them.

Other Tolais have said that they were fed-up with the behaviour of the Navuneram villagers—although this is not to say that the Tolai groups that are being virtuously censorious of the Navunermas this week will not be staging a piece of civil disobedience of their own next Week.

Since the shooting these things have happened; / • Three Navuneram natives were arrested, two sentenced to gaol for Six months and the other given a tax exemption. All the others

have paid up—and raised the Aus tralian flag in their village. • Brigadier Clel a n d flew to New Britain to talk personally to Navuneram villagers. ® In Australia, Territories Min ister Hasluck has called for “a full report from the Administrator”; the head of the Methodist Overseas Mission has demanded a “full en quiry”; and Dr. Evatt, Leader of the Opposition, has, of course, “in sisted on a full explanation” from Prime Minister Menzies. • Kokopo residents have declared their confidence in the Adminis tration over their handling of the affair.