Readjustments

Remarkable”

Readjustments In P-NG Views

From R. W. Robson

Port Moresby.

\ remarkable new spirit—it

ild be described as an awaken —is abroad in Port Moresby, is a new appraisal and con jusness of public and inter ional affairs as they affect sua and New Guinea. clearly is based on three far reaching changes of the past two rs: > The war dances being performed r the western end of New Guinea Soekarno and his Indonesians. > The special measures taken by iberra under international pressure dree upon Papua and New Guinea rash programme of native educa and training for more self ernment. > Realisation that Australian ned Services, in co-operation with :ain, United States and France, putting into the Melanesian chain South Pacific Islands an organisa that will allow those islands to jsed more effectively than in 1941 a defence screen for the Anglo nch countries of the South Pacific, wen as I write this, there are re rt s of wild Dutch-Indonesian mishings off the western tip of v Guinea. Some of the newspaper dings which arrive here every •ning from Australia announce, i squawks of sensationalism and sponsibility, that the Indonesian ision has begun.

'ort Moresby is not in the least :urbed. ‘ort Moresby it appears has a it contempt for Indonesian mil y prowess, and a great respect for Dutch. There are some Dutch fials living here now, and relations veen them and the Australians n very happy.

The Dutch have some first-class ipment now, and they’ll start the karno boys on a fast run home ds as soon as they make contact,”

Port Moresby’s opinion, lut Port Moresby also is well >rmed on international politics, 1 politicians. The Top Brass here >oth official and non-official—ex ts that eventually the Dutch will

move out of West New Guinea— gladly abandoning an administrative and economic headache—and that the Indonesians, probably under United Nations supervision, will move in.

After that, it is presumed, Aus tralia will meet the situation as it develops. But, so far as Papua and New Guinea people are concerned, there is determination by all classes that neither the Indonesians nor their Red friends shall find any place in Australian territory.

“If they come into the West with United Nations blessing won’t they expect admission into New Guinea, which is also a United Nations Terri tory?” I asked high officialdom.

High officialdom’s answer is not printable. But it was couched in the good Australian language one likes to hear.

In non-official (property-owning) circles I was most interested to find that there is very little uneasiness and uncertainty. They admit that “something might happen” in the Trustee Territory of New Guinea; but they are quite sure that Australia never will surrender its old Terri tory of Papua.

For the first time in 30 years of visiting, I find Administration and private enterprise thinking as one in relation to a fundamental problem.

They are in agreement that, in view of international developments, every thing possible should be done to train and educate these natives, so that they may undertake, in a spirit of good will to Australia, all the self-govern ment they are capable of handling.

It is seen that New Guinea, and the Melanesian islands to the east, are on the line of the defence screen that is being established between Asia and the European South Pacific. It obviously is important that the Islanders, of their own wish, should stay on our side of the line.

This fundamental consideration in troduces all sorts of subsidiary problems, mostly social.

I think private enterprise now per haps has a better appreciation of the terrific education task facing this Dual Territory with its 700 different languages. Moreover, the task of get ting the goodwill of the natives in volves a better standard of native liv ing. That, in turn, means closer social contacts between Europeans and natives.

The older Europeans don’t like it much. All the younger classes of natives seem to have become ex tremely class-conscious. To a degree that is almost unbelievable—so quick has been the change—they are reach ing out after Australian clothes, Aus traT i a n entertainment, American

ined music, even the ownership of s. fhere is a sharp, growing demand education —they most definitely tit to use the speech of Taubada 1 Masta. ‘Look at him—for Gawd’s sake, k!” exclaimed a store manager to , in Port Moresby’s main street. )n the other side, a handsome mg Papuan strutted. He wore a : open-necked shirt, tailored shorts, dais, hair cut a la European, and nging from his shoulder, bumping his shapely buttock, was a large iera in an expensive brown case. ‘We don’t bother about ‘trade ids’ in the stores around Moresby r more,” said the merchant. “No [ now for bush knives and black acco.

They get cash instead of rations, I do their own buying—they buy goods the Australians buy—they n cripple themselves with our d of shoes.

There has been a tremendous ial change—they are not just ives any more—they are deter led to be black Australians. And black Australians we have to ept them—if we know what’s good us.” fhat, coming from a hard-bitten stralian merchant, startled me re than any other recent change e. t is a sign of changed non-official stralian thinking, and a frank eptance of unavoidable facts.

Mr. Newby's Task rhe appearance of Mr. L. R. why as Director of Information I Extension Services, on a <£3,600 annum salary, is another startling t. That is a big salary for what > supposed to be “a public rela is man,” even in these days of in ion.

Jut this is no public relations )ointment. Mr. Newby’s job, stated simplest terms, is to sell Western ion and Australia, to the natives; I to see that any frightfully dis ted descriptions of New Guinea iditions sent abroad by irre msible journalism are countered, at least modified. fhere are If million natives in 4G. Only a small proportion are rate, and a still smaller percentage capable of forming an opinion social or political affairs.

Tow is Mr, Newby going to reach m. Your guess is as good as mine, t it is most important that they reached. I presume that every 001, training establishment, military

unit, will be used, and that the media will be generally Pidgin, in radio and, where possible, in the printed word.

But right across this country is the maddening barrier of language. The times are ugly and the need is urgent.

Everything that officialdom plans is hampered by the difficulty of getting it across to the eagerly receptive, friendly natives.

If they wish to become “black Australians” then we, in view of world circumstances, must certainly encourage that sentiment, before it can change. But it is a slow and painful process.

We could have a “black Australia”,

perhaps, in Papua; but what about the Trustee Territory?

Every babbling idealist in the United Nations insists that Australia can have only one purpose in Trustee New Guinea—namely, self-govern ment and independence. To that we pay lip service. Yet every thoughtful European here knows that we dare not permit an independent New Guinea on our northern frontier, while the world is in its present con dition.

Maybe, the way may become easiei when the United Nations Organisa tion collapses—a definite possibility nowadays. Meanwhile, no one envies Mr. Newby his task.