for Australia?

And why not Gilbertese for Australia?

A plea in PIM that Australia should take Gilbert and Ellice Island immigrants has been supported by Australian author Keith Willey, writing in the Sydney newspaper, The Sun (circulation over 300,000).

IN a prominent feature article pub lished on August 29, Willey says it is about time Australia faced up to her responsibilities in the Pacific.

Willey is the author of a number of best-selling books on Australia.

For 12 months he was a staff cor respondent in New Guinea for an Australian newspaper chain, and one of his books is Assignment New Guinea.

In his article, Willey quoted extracts from the proposal made by a special Australian correspondent in PIM in August (p. 20) that Aus tralia allow immigration of a few thousand Gilbert and Ellice Islanders a year, to save them from a des parate economic position.

The correspondent said: “While such a solution may involve giving these people a preferred position in immigration, which may lead to protests from other racial groups, surely Australia should face up to that! But Australia cannot contem plate standing idly by while these fine people sink into poverty.”

In his Sun article, Willey pointed out that New Zealand had accepted large numbers of Polynesian migrants over the years.

“This has been one of the several factors giving New Zealand an influence in South Pacific affairs which rivals—and in some areas ex ceeds—Australia’s own,” he said.

Willey said overpopulation and the boredom of a closed, settled society had created a pressure for emigra tion on many Pacific atolls. The Nauruans, who refused the idea of a new home in Australia, were not opposed to settling their young people in Australia, if they would be sure of a welcome, Willey said James Bop, a Nauruan councillor, told him this last year, “In Tonga—where the people’s intelligence and education far out weigh the opportunities open to them at home—l gained the impres sion that many young folk would migrate if they could,” Willey said.

Tongan men and women educated in Australia often asked if they could return to Australia.

“At such times the White Australia Policy seems a churlish affront to a charming, generous people,” he said, and added:

Face responsibilities

“New Guinea must be considered in any discussion of Pacific im migration.

“A limited number of Polynesian settlers present a very different pro blem from the flood of New Guinean immigrants who could be expected to flock south if the gates were opened.

“Alarmists fear such a move could lead to ghettos of Melanesians living on the lowest wages, or social services—a situation as explosive, potentially, as that of the Negro in America.

“Nethertheless, it is about time Australia faced up to her respon sibility as a dominant power in Pacific affairs.

“An agreement confined to the Gilbert and Ellice Colony, under which a limited number of islanders could enter as migrants, might be a good way to start.”

• The Nauruans, the Ocean Islan and the Gilbert and Ellice Islanders v all in the news in August. The Naun were in Canberra putting the flnisl touches to an agreement which shi give them independence by January (see p. 23). The GEIC people rece support for a suggestion that they sh< be allowed to migrate to Australia this page). And the Ocean Islanders, 1 are called Banabans and who now on Rabi Island, in the Fiji Group, v preparing for an important confereno Wellington, NZ, in an effort to get n money from Ocean Island phosphate, the developments were connected.