Preferred the

Another Mission Looks At No

The W.Nakanais Preferred the Germans

It was left to the Nakanai people of New Britain to provide the diversion during this year’s

United Nations Trusteeship Mis

sion visit to New Guinea. They asked that the Trusteeship be taken away from Australia and given to America, and indicated that things were far better long ago, under the Germans.

THE West Nakanai natives said their piece when the delega tion landed at Hoskins airstrip during a routine visit to the Nakanai area of New Britain. One of the Nakanais, reading slowly from a petition written on the pages torn from a school exercise book, said that the natives were treated like dogs; they lived in dirty houses with rats; had no money to better them selves, but were nonetheless ex pected to pay tax. Meantime Admin istration officers in the district en joyed big salaries. The Germans had given them clothes and boxes to put them in, but since the Australians had pushed the Germans out, the natives had got nothing.

About 200 natives crowded round the tent in which the delegation was “receiving”, until at one stage most of the breathing air of delegates and the Administration officers who accompanied them was in danger of being cut off.

The leader of the UN delegation, Mr. Chiping H. C Kiang (National ist China) told them that nothing that the delegates had seen had

justified what had been said in the petition. Then after he had taken testimony from New Britain Dis trict Commissioner J. R. Foldi, and a local patrol officer, he said: “Let me make it clear that Australia is not ruling you, but helping you— and spending money on it.”

Dirt and Rats are

Nakanai Business

He reminded them of the new Nonga Hospital near Rabaul—“not the best in the Territory but the best in all Territories”; that the delegation had seen no racial dis crimination—there had been repre sentatives of all races, including natives, at receptions they had at tended; that the dirt and rats in Nakanai houses were the Nakanai natives’ business and not that of the Administration; that money did not fall from the clouds, but could be earned —if they didn’t know how, the Administration was there to advise them.

The Nakanai natives have been problem children for a long time, although to a minor degree in com parison with their more sophisticated Tolai brethren in the Gazelle Pen insula.

Shortly after the Australians took over in New Guinea after World War I, the inland Nakanai natives caused a certain amount of strife, resulting in an expedition, including civilians as well as Administration officers, being sent in against them.

But since the Second World War, the coastal natives of this area have in (Over)

dulged in a more sophisticated form of trouple-making.

About 10 years ago some “foreign” influence seems to have made its presence felt; it was believed, at the time, to have had a Rabaul Euro pean behind it and it affected people spread for about 100 miles along the coast.

Tolais Weighed in, Too

When the petitions were being made last month the Tolais were not found completely wanting. They presented several to the delegation

during its six days in New Britain.

One Tolai petition wanted all the Chinese removed from the district.

The UN delegation will return to New York on April 25, after visiting all parts of the Trust Territory, to report on progress being made for the attainment of Trusteeship Charter objectives. Apart from Mr.

Kiang, who was leader of the delegation, there was Mr. Alfred Olaeys Houuaert (Belgium), U Tin Maung (Burma) and Mr. Sergio Kociancich (Italy).

In previous years the one delega tion visited all Pacific Trust Terri tories, but this year a special delega tion visited Western Samoa (see previous page) which now is close

to self-government.