Commentary

m P-NG: Aspects of

The Mick Leahy Verdict

JJINCE the war, and the advent J of Administrations whose think ing is deeply coloured by “native yelfare”, the small European in ividualist in Papua and New IJuinea has not had much official incouragement.

The big corporations have been iiven some help; but the “little ;ellow”, trying to establish himself is a planter, or storekeeper, or en- Ineer, or sawmiller, usually has had 0 fight generally against official iom and especially against certain lentlemen with a Brown Brother omplex. Over many official doors, or 10 or 12 years, unwritten but lainly discernible, was the sign, Europeans not wanted —Keep out!”

Finding themselves thus regarded, ar too many Europeans cashed in snd got out. Differently treated, mny would have left their money ind their relations in the country, ven if forced out themselves by ige or sickness.

The pioneer Leahy brothers, liners and explorers and planters— nd good soldiers, between 1942 and 945—refused to go. in spite of fficialdom. Instead, they ploughed oeir money back into the New luinea Highlands, in cattle and aukau, coffee and sheep and vege ables—rendering a valuable service 1 demonstrating the potentialities f the country, to natives as well s to Europeans.

Therefore, the verdict which Mr.

I. J. Leahy has won in the law Durts against the Administration ill be regarded with lively satisfac on, not only by experienced non fficial residents, but also by many f the senior officials.

More and more senior officials in le field now accept the truth of le argument that the best and uickest way to get in New Guinea higher native living standard is ) establish there more of a suit ble class of European producers, to bow the natives how to achieve reduction and create wealth.

Counting sons and nephews, there iill are only a handful of Leahys i New Guinea. The country wants undreds of people of this type; nd every resource of the Admin itration. in money and in skill, liould be made available to help nd encourage them.

It is a bad show when a pioneer ke Mick Leahy should have to risk is own hard money in an expensive iw action, in order to get bare istice from the Administration.

However, in the decision to finance x-servicemen onto plantations in '-NG, there are signs that Aus ralia at last is going to give active,

practical help to the European in dividualists —“little fellows”, as dis tinct from well-endowed corpora tions —to settle in New Guinea.

There could be no better guarantee of the security of Australia’s huge investment in P-NG-i.e., 8,000 dead servicemen, and £100,000,000 of public money. ☆ ☆ ☆

Fiji Will Note India's

Welcome to Philip

IN Eastern Europe and Northern and Eastern Asia there are nations, tied ruthlessly to Muscovite Communism, whose population is close to 1,000 millions.

That staggering figure includes 640 million Chinese.

If we add together the people of the Western nations, including the United States and the non- Asian countries of the British Commonwealth, we get a total of over 500 millions. That way, we leave the people of Southern Asia and of Africa between the two worlds.

But if we include the 400 millions of India and Pakistan, with their tremendous potential of man power and material wealth, we get a new kind of picture, and a very interesting one. Most Western cvnics, knowing how Communism breeds and works, hitherto have been inclined to give India’s millions eventually to the Communist world.

The socio-political future of India’s 400 millions is of vital importance to Australia and the South Pacific countries. In the long view, we cannot escape Red enslavement if it falls in on top of us, from Asia.

But India and Pakistan, although beset by political troubles, have shown no movement towards Communism. Owing to over population, great masses ot Indians —scores of millions of them —live in bitter poverty; but under Mr. Nehru’s leadership they are striving for better standards of life by the methods of individualism and State socialism, rather than bv the ant-heap technique of Red Cl Ali a this is brought sharply to our notice by the astonishing over whelming demonstrations of popu lar goodwill towards Prince Philip, in India and Pakistan.

India has remained, since in dependence, a member o British Commonwealth; but hitherto, in security calculations m relat to the Cold War, we usually have written India off as a bad riSK.

Pakistan we always have regarded as a closer relation.

But the masses of Indians seem to be in no doubt of where they stand. They welcomed Philip not only as a Mountbatten (it was his famous uncle who, as Viceroy, directed India’s smooth transition from direct British control to in dependence), but also as the Consort of Britain’s Queen, head of the British Commonwealth.

Apparently, India’s masses are happy to be in the British Commonwealth, and quite willing to pay homage to Britain’s ancient throne, That not only is a great tribute to British “Colonialism”; it is also, for the South Pacific, an important and significant development.

It is comforting to feel that, be tween the unpredictable Communist world of Northern Asia, and the small Western countries of the South Pacific, there is this solid wall of 400 millions of Indians, pro-British and anti-Communist.

It is interesting to note that, when we come very shortly to seeking a solution of Fiji’s popula tion and economic problems, Fiji’s 175,000 Indians may be influenced in their thinking by the prevailing friendly sentiment in their home land. It will be so much easier to deal with 175,000 friendly and co operative fellow-Britishers of Indian blood, than with 175,000 unco-operative immigrants from Asia.

In national planning, as in inter national trading, goodwill and understanding can make all the difference. India’s welcome to Prince Philip must have been noted with much pleasure by all classes in Fiji. ☆ ☆ ☆

Japan has not Forgotten

New Guinea and BSI

IN the Japanese Parliament, on February 4, a Conservative mem ber argued that the whole of New Guinea (by which presumably he meant Dutch New Guinea and Trustee New Guinea, which in cludes New Britain, New Ireland and Bougainville), should be— • Placed in the care of the United Nations Trusteeship Council; • “Developed through the use of United States’ money and Japanese man-power.”

A leading Japanese Statesman, Mr. Hideo Sudi, said the suggestion was “only a dream”.

Surprisingly, the Prime Minister, Mr. Kishi, said that the plan “de served serious consideration”.

Again and again, in past years.

PIM has pointed out that Australian and Dutch New Guinea, carrying only 3 million people (when, accord ing to Indonesian or Philippines standards, it could support 60 millions) have been a focal point for much Japanese expansion ist planning—have been, and still are. (Over)

If the Axis Powers had won World War 11. tens of millions of surplus Japanese would by now be pouring into New Guinea, the Bismarck archipelago and the Solomons. That, definitely, was part of Japan’s plan when Togo and Company struck at Pearl Harbour 17 years ago.

A generation of anti-colonial idealists and bearded planners has persuaded the world that the Jap anese now are a nation of little gentlemen who never now turn a covetous eye upon these empty South Pacific islands.

But sometimes —as on this occasion —we are allowed a little glimpse behind the scenes. ☆ ☆ ☆

Some Cold Facts For

A Left-Wing Writer

A GENTLEMAN named Kingsley Martin, described as “Editor of the New Statesman” (which is one of Britain’s very Left-Wing journals) has been advocating a complete reversal of Canberra think ing in relation to Indonesia.

In typical Left-Wing style, he argues that “Australians should cease to support Dutch claims, and that they should think in terms of working with Indonesia rather than with the Dutch, who admit th,at they find the administration of West New Guinea troublesome and ex pensive.”

But, in a thousand denunciatory words, he fails to give one good reason why Australia should abandon the Dutch —who are their West European cousins, and racially pre ferable to any number of Indo nesians—and try to get on-side with the 83 million socially and politic ally useless folk who occupy the East Indies.

He says that the Indonesian leaders are “strongly anti-com munist”, and resent Australia’s sup port of the Dutch.

He says: “All this is a thousand pities. In the immediate post-war period Australia won golden opinions in Asia by supporting the new re public. Unhappily, Australian policy changed when Mr. Mmzies suc ceeded Mr. Curtin.”

He presumably is ref erring to that shameful occasion when Sydney’s Communist wharf labourers refused to load Dutch ships.

We know nothing about Mr Kingsley Martin—obviously, how ever, he is one of the swaggering Pink journalists who have done so much to bedevil the Western lead ers in the post-war world, and push them constantly towards Iron Curtain Ideology. And, obviously he knows nothing of the history’ of events in Indonesia. Here are the facts: Indonesia is not a united nation —never has been and probably never

will be. It was pure accident that the Dutch made one huge adminis tiative area of this mass of archi pelagoes with headquarters at Batavia. Even after ruling the Netherlands Indies successfully for 300 years, the Dutch had not made one country of it.

If they had returned to the Indies in 1945, and been subjected to these post-war nationalist pressures, so that they were obliged to confer self-government where such was justified, the Dutch would have divided the East Indies into at least four separate communities —Java, Sumatra, Borneo, and the group of easterly archipelagoes like the Celebes and the Moluccas. That way, we might have seen the shape of nations to come, like Ceylon and the Philippines and Malaya.

But the Dutch, bled white by World War 11, and harassed at home, like the British, by post-war Socialist administrations, could not resume possession of the Indies without help; and Britain and the United States, guided by Leftist “thinkers”, like Australia’s Evatt, would give no help.

Eventually, the Dutch got back into Indonesia under their own steam but, handicapped at home, and nagged at by UNO, they were forced to compromise with the Jap- nominated “government” of Soekarno.

The history of it all is there, in official documents.

Soekarno’s gang promised general elections, in which the different sections of Indonesia would support local governments, and elect mem bers to a sort of Federal parliament: and Indonesia was to become part of a Union with The Netherlands.

That was only fair and right. The Dutch had given 300 years of colonising work to the Indies; their investments there were enormous; at least half a million people were of mixed Dutch and Malayan blood.

None of that undertaking was carried out. There were no elections, worthy of the name; there is no representative government for any race there, except the Javanese; the pledge to enter a Union with Holland was cynically repudiated; the gov ernment is simply a Soekarno dictatorship; and, as the Dutch people were hunted out, with malice and without mercy, supposedly to make room for Indonesians, the Chinese moved in in an endless stream, to take the places of the Dutch.

The biggest single political organ isation there now is the Communist Party, and it is very strong. The administration is feeble and corrupt, and so inefficient that it sits around crying constantly for economic aid, trying to play off the West against the Muscovite.

These are the people and this is the country with which Mr. Left wing Kingsley Martin thinks Aus tralia should be in alliance!

Dr. John Burton

Cuts Loose Again

PERHAPS because he is the sc of a well known Pacific Islam missionary, but probably b" cause he was briefly in charge Australia’s Department of Extern Affairs during the Evatt regime, te years ago, Canberra’s Dr. Job Burton occasionally presents hin self, through the newspapers, as a expert on Pacific Islands subjects Here are some of his cho i o morsels, delivered in Canberra January in an address to 180 “Youj leaders” from churches in all Aui tralian States, Southeast Ash Tonga, Fiji and Nauru: “Australia’s policy on New Guinu is a classical example of colonia ism.”

“Australia’s policy of exploitatio and discrimination is designed orr to make the native people bettJ servants of their white masters..

“The people of New Guinea at more prepared for self-governme* than most people believe.”

“Indonesia is no more capable administering New Guinea ths Australia, or the Dutch. But it certainly no less capable.”

And more to the same effee; wherein this troublesome Docti finds much merit in Asians ait.

Islanders generally, and very dt plorable traits in Europeans, ar especially Australians.

This is typical of the way in whid our freedom of speech can abused, and great harm done T irresponsible talkers.

The “Youth leaders” of Fii Tonga and Nauru, having heard tld address of a Doctor, can go ban; to their Pacific countries with quite erroneous and dangerous in piession of public opinion in Aiu tralia.

Political nuisances like Dr. JoM< Burton should be kept under son* kind of restraint, and let loose ♦ “Youth leaders” only under licensee