Its Rules For Entry

Why New Guinea Has Widened

By Stuart Inder

An announcement by the P-NG Assistant Administrator

(Economic Affairs), Mr. Frank

Henderson, on December 28 that Asian and Africans and other non-Europeans, may be admitted to Papua-New Guinea under certain circumstances, is yet an other development in a develop ing story which so far has got

little publicity.

MR. HENDERSON announced that skilled workers from these countries will in future be able to get residential visas for up to two years to do specific jobs in the terri tory, so long as they also train New Guineans to do the work. Up to now, some of these people, par ticularly Japanese, have been allowed residential visas of three to six months.

This in fact has been the policy for at least 18 months. It was first revealed as a result of a Press state ment made in Port Moresby at the beginning of 1965 by the Minister for Territories, Mr. Barnes. He said that Japanese technicians could be admitted to the territory temporarily if they trained New Guineans to take over their positions.

This statement got Mr. Barnes into hot water in Federal Parliament in May last year, when the Opposition accused the Government of planning to relax its immigration policy and allow employment of Japanese trades men, “in large numbers”, in both Papua-New Guinea and Australia {PIMy June, 1965, p. 21).

Mr. Barnes replied that availability of technicians had to be considered if Australia was to develop large tracts of New Guinea jungle. Aus tralia had not the capital to develop the territory, and it had in any case to find markets for timber and fish.

Principle unaltered

Mr, Barnes also on that occasion got into trouble with the House of Assembly in Port Moresby for not having consulted the House before his announcement, although the general feeling in the Assembly was that Jap anese technicians could be a good thing if they brought with them new industries.

Thus Mr. Henderson’s announce ment in December does not alter any principles—it merely makes it known that other Asians and Africans, with special skills can be granted work permits in the territory and that these permits can be up to two years.

This two-year qualification is important victory for Japanese dustry, which has been pressing it for some time. Timber intere and a shipbuilding company wh has been planning to build steel si in Rabaul, have been agitating two-year terms for their technics because the six-month periods wen considered enough.

It is probably fair to say that changes just announced have b as a result of this Japanese agitati Canberra does not see anyth wrong with Japanese investment the territory. It has looked economic facts in the face and it realised that it has to fall in ] with Fiji, the Solomons, the h Hebrides and some others who h allowed Japanese investment, a then Japanese migration (carefi selected) to support the investmi Even the independent kingdom Tonga some years ago brought Japanese tuna experts to show Tongans how (an investment whi incidentally, ended in tragedy w] the tuna ship and experts were 1 in a storm.)

Japanese set the pace

But although the Japanese h been setting the pace in New Guh for this reassessment of immigrati they have not by any means b the only ones interested in impt ing outside labour. Some of the Islands trading firms, particula Carpenter and Co., have been seek the right to introduce skilled pea from the Philippines, Ceylon, Asse

*nya, Nigeria, Burma and the South icific.

The South Sea Islanders, par jularly Tongans, W. R. Carpenters mt for the desiccated coconut ctory in Rabaul to be established this ar, and the others they want for tea antations and general plantations. 11 of them have skills not found New Guinea or Australia.

It now seems pretty obvious that e big firms are going to get some these people—and the official an mncement in December was merely eparing the way.

Whether or not New Guinea com erce will find the arrangements itirely satisfactory remains to be en, because there is every indica )n that Canberra is going to vet ery expert with a fine comb, and e to it that he knows his business :fore he gets there and gets out as lickly as possible when he has done

Some problems ahead

It looks very much as if some ex jrts will be given visas for consider >ly less than the maximum period of ro years, and some of them will irdly have had time to do the job sfore they find themselves on a plane it (at the expense of the boss, of mrse).

No doubt there will be some un jcessary difficulties over this—un scessary because now that Canberra is approved the principle it shouldn’t sally matter whether a technician ays for six months or two years so mg as he does the job and doesn’t ve there permanently. The people anting to employ experts do, after I, have the problem of getting them icre and making it worth their while.

Among the Government’s safe iiards will be the requirements that on-Europeans have re-entry permits ito their own countries and guaran :ed passages out.

One is entitled to hope that the Jovernment will see to it that these afeguards are watertight.

At this stage it looks as if the Jap nese interests will be able to more asily find nationals who can fit the nmigration requirements, and that ae commercial firms will find it ougher going.

But the path of commerce is never asy, despite what the sceptics might ay, and probably it is just as well : Australia’s immigration policy is ot to get out of hand by default.

As it is, there should be no real luibble at the new arrangements, rfiich merely face the fact that the •eople in the Pacific are more and lore becoming dependent on each )ther, and the world at large.