Undisciplined Native

No Teeth in P-NG Labour Laws

Crews Now A Danger

By a Staff Writer

The present Administration policy of coddling natives and leaving European private enterprise to manage as best it can, is tending to hamstring the coastal ships of Papua and New Guinea, upon which so much of the Territory’s trans portation depends.

THERE are planters’ associations which occasionally become vocal and fight the Administra tion for a fair deal. But there is no organisation of ship-owners; and the latter are getting a very raw deal, indeed.

Nowadays, nearly all native labour employed on coastal ships is casual labour. The results are ■seen in a lack of training, in inefficiency, and in a grave absence of that discipline which is essential to the safety of ships at sea. In quite recent months, these cases occurred: • When, in Papuan waters, a small ship caught fire, the native crew seized the boat and made for the shore and left the Europeans (including Captain Jim Richie) to manage as best they could. • When the Bellbird was lost off the South Coast of New Britain all but one of the natives employed aboard lost their heads and dived overboard. (The other acted heroically). • When the Gazelle got into trouble near the Witu Islands the natives seized the boat and made off, leaving the European captain to get out of it in any way he could.

Leave When They Like

In recent years, the natives have learned that if they do not accept employment on ships under a contract, and get taken on as casuals, they can leave when they like, and how they like, and the employers can do nothing about it.

Even if they are on contract and run away, there is no penalty in the Ordinance, except a Civil Court action.

When crew leave in this fashion, the ship is simply tied up. Native Affairs Department officials do nothing about it—the employers suspect that in many cases the officials’ sympathy is with the natives.

It has been like that ever since Socialist Minister Eddie Ward introduced his “policy of native freedom” after the war—which

policy has been carried on by Minister Hasluck.

In the old days, these matters were controlled by labour contracts, and the, terms of the contract were enforceable.

For reasons of both discipline and training, natives should be signed onto ships, just as European men are in European countries. But in New Guinea, now, the native does very much as he pleases.

Desperate for Crew

Shipowners and captains are so desperate for crew, generally, that they take on these workers as casuals, although they know they are asking for trouble.

A bad feature is the failure of shipping people to train native youths and men as steersmen, marine engineers, and so forth.

They cannot train the crews which can—and do—walk off at any time.

The crews often are arrogant, undisciplined and endanger the safety of ships—and this situation will worsen as long as the present Administration attitude towards shipboard labour is allowed to continue.