An Appeal For Others

Summary of P-NG's New Land Scheme

To Share In It

• As questions have arisen con cerning the terms under which the Australian Government and the Papua-New Guinea Administration will assist former servicemen to settle in New Guinea, “PIM” pub lishes the following summary of a discussion which took place at the recent session of the P-NG Legis lative Council: THE Bill establishing the credit plan for ex-servicemen was in troduced by the Crown Law Officer (Mr. Watkins) on Sept. 16.

The Commonwealth Government has made available £250,000, to be •loaned to former servicemen who first must be selected and approved by an investigating committee.

Mr, Watkins said certain condi tions applied. The applicant for a loan must have been a member of the Australian Forces in World War II; or must have served for six months in Korea.

I Others could get accreditation in scertain circumstances.

He must have been resident for ifive years in the Territory; he must satisfy the committee that he has sufficient knowledge of agricultural procedure in the Territory; and he must show that land is available for his use. r Loans up to £25,000 would be >made available at 31% per annum, t Certain conditions were laid down as a guarantee that the money \would be properly spent.

Better Late Than Never Mr. R. F. Bunting expressed the pleasure of ex-servicemen gener ally in that this settlement scheme had at last been accepted by Aus tralia —better late than never.

The scheme, he said, would help in the establishment of new settlers in New Guinea —and the right class of new planters undoubtedly would help the natives in making in dustrial and social progress.

It was hoped that the service men to be thus aided would not be confined too strictly to Australian servicemen of World War n—he thought the scheme should be ex tended, where possible, to service men of World War I and to suit able men who had served in any British unit.

“I do hope,” added Mr. Bunting, “that some arrangement will be made under which land will be made available for suitable service men.”

The Administrator (Brigadier Cleland) ; I think it has heen made perfectly clear that it is an obliga

tion upon the Administration to make land available to servicemen under this scheme.

Mr. lan Downs said that this statement by the Administrator, on top of what had been said by Mr.

Watkins in introducing the Bill, made it necessary for the Adminis tration now to indicate where it was going to get the land required under the scheme.

Large Areas Held Large areas of land suitable for development were now being held by individuals and institutions —and especially the Missions —which were not being developed, said Mr. Downs.

The Department of Forests, for

example, had large areas of land which were suitable for agriculture and which were not required for afforestation —he referred especially to land in the Wau area—and he thought some of those areas should be made available.

It was possible, also, that some system of preference should be in troduced to ensure that suitable persons obtained land.

“The key to the success of this whole thing,” said Mr. Downs, “is the Board of Control, and I think it is a great pity that represent atives of the ex-servicemen are not to be on the Board.”

Mr. Fairfax Ross pointed out that it was 13 years since the war ended and some of the servicemen

to whom this Bill applied—and who ought to have been established long ago as suitable planters—were now getting “pretty long in the tooth”.

Facilities should be provided quickly for the establishment of these new settlers so that they could begin to earn an income reasonably soon.

He questioned whether £25,000 would be sufficient in some cases to allow a planter to become reasonably well established —the cost of running a staff and a team of 40 labourers, and of providing new housing and equipment, would be not less than £6,000 per annum — and this meant that such a man must have private means.

He urged that help be given to ex-servicemen who wished to pur chase plantations which already had been established. One of the conditions of the scheme was that the man receiving this help should make “a reasonable living from a home maintenance area”—and what did that mean? The phrase should be clarified.

Much would depend upon the .capability of the Board of Control.

Incompetent and inexperienced per sons who were incapable of organ ising and directing native labour, should not be imit.

"The Key"

Mr. Dudley Jones said that the determination by the Board of what is a reasonable standard of living, to be applied to these ex-service men, was the key to the whole thing; and he therefore was astounded that representatives of the ex-servicemen were not to be on the Board of Control.

One of the chief problems was the availability of land. In his opinion there was a great deal of suitable land in the Territory which could be used, but was not being made available for use—he referred to 2,000 acres that he knew of in the Bainings, which seemed to be owned by one native woman. There were large areas of alienated land, both freehold and leasehold, which were not being made use of.

Father Dwyer said that as the operation of the Board of Control was the key to the scheme, some means should be found of allowing a representative of the ex-service men to serve on the Board.

Mr. Watkins, replying, said that he thought that the matter of rep resentation of ex-servicemen on the Board would be taken into con sideration by the Minister.

Adverse Trade Balance Grows

Fiji’s adverse trade balance for the year up to the end of September was over £4,soo,ooo—about £3,000,000 more than the adverse balance at the same time last year. Exports in September totalled over £1,500,000.

They exceeded imports by £22,000.