The Mailbag

Irian Java: A Reply

And Invitation

As I returned from Irian Jaya re ;ently, I found comments on my article “From a dull Hollandia to a :olourful, bustling Jayapura” pub ished in the PIM, June ’74 issue (p 19) that I—in turn—would like to :omment on.

As for the remark of Mr Paul 3rocott (PIM, Feb, p 71) under ‘lrian Jaya”, it is true that I am a inguist. However, he has overlooked ny other academic qualifications that have acquired at the University of in the Netherlands. In fact, ny field is Indology which is a ipecialised study in Indonesian his ory, culture, law, sociology, eco lomics and politics. I hold a Doctorandus degree in Economics, md have also studied International Law.

In my long-standing career of caching Indonesian Studies (includ ng Bahasa Indonesia) —ever since I graduated from Leyden— at colleges putside Indonesia, such as the Pre idio of Monterey in California, the Jniversity of Hawaii, and Auckland Jniversity in New Zealand, I have jublished booklets and articles, not )nly on Indonesian linguistics, but dso on Indonesian political history. 3n my special interest in Pacific cul ures I published an article in the Journal of the Polynesian Society see June ’7O issue).

As for the article in the PIM January ’75 issue “Irian Jaya, a forth :oming bonanza—but who for?”, )ages 25-33, I must say that the greyish shade of the sand at Hamadi seach is a matter of taste. The igures given in my article dated back rom November 1973 when I was in rian Jaya, and were obtained from official sources.

One of the liaison officers who iccompanied Sir Maori Kiki on his ecent trip (September ’74) to Irian aya, and who is an Trianese himself, :xpressed surprise at seeing remark ible changes in Jayapura, and re portedly stated: “People on the other ;ide of the border never get the word icross”.

Rather than engaging myself in end

less polemics, I intend to publish a series of articles dealing with different aspects of life in Irian Jaya. I would also suggest that people—who are still holding an idee fixe of West Irian in Sukarno’s days—pay a visit to J ayapura.

With an Indonesian Consulate- General in Port Moresby, it should not be difficult for PNG-ans and other residents of Papua New Guinea to obtain a tourist visa. In Jayapura they can freely contact “the man in the street” and see things for them selves.

In this way, much of the thick mist of ignorance which shrouds some of the diehards’ minds, will hopefully be lifted.

R. S. Roosman

Senior Lecturer.

Dept of Political Studies, University of PNG.

Guise, The Trader

In his letter (PIM, Feb, p 73) Archdeacon Whonsbon-Aston gives an interesting account of the Guise family, but unfortunately it is a myth.

The family is a distinguished English family who have held, among other estates, the Manor of Elmore in Gloucestershire since 1274. Regi nald Edward Guise was born on June 2, 1850, the eldest son of Francis Edward Guise, Recorder of Hereford, who was the third son of General Sir John Guise, Bart, a veteran of the Napoleonic wars.

Guise’s nephew, Mr Francis Guise of Bristol is the source of this infor mation. Reginald Edward Guise’s name, together with an account of the family, is to be found in Burke’s Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage 1963 p 1057.

According to the Army List, Guise became an ensign in the Buffs on October 9, 1869 and later won the revolver-shooting championship of the army in India. He almost cer tainly first visited British New Guinea in November, 1883, where he later became a justice of the peace. He died in Gloucestershire on November 8, 1902, and was buried at Elmore.

University of PNG.

Ntgel Oram.

Png Business

A PIM article (Feb, p 70) “How not to win in PNG Business” had very familiar tones for PNG old hands. As I was involved in mission work, then in public health during 20 years in PNG until my retirement in July, 1972, I can’t pretend to be an economist or even to know much about business.

However, with previous experience in under-developed countries (South America, West Indies and others), before arriving in PNG in 1952, I had the opportunity to live in all the main areas of PNG.

Everywhere, many administration officers, missionaries and old planters, well before the “new wave of foreigners” (mentioned by Mr Paulius Matane), were often dis turbed by statements or reports from so-called experts and self-appointed specialists on New Guinea on about everything from education to agri culture, from religion to politics.

Peanut and rice scheme failures in the Sepik, Mekeo, the Western Dis trict and other places were typical of the work of some of these “instant economists”.

Generally, they forgot the human factor, especially the very rhythm of life in the tropics and the total in difference to our own mad concep tion of forced production.

Here are two examples of econ omic inefficiency as far as some Port Moresby bureaucrats were concerned.

During five years in Goroka, as a hobby on the side of my duties in Public Health (TB Control), and with former experience in tropical bee-keeping in South America and West Indies, I became interested in the same activity; even considering to extend it to medical research on bee-venom against arthritis. I co ordinated, advised and improved honey production around Goroka, for missions and schools. Several tons of “coffee-honey” were pro duced in a couple of years, samples displayed at Hagen and Goroka shows and bee-keepers trained.

At my retirement, I proposed to continue working as a technical ad viser, on native wages, supported by

my friend Barry Holloway, Member for the Eastern Highlands and Speaker of the House. I waited for several weeks in Port Moresby (July to August, 1972) for an answer from interested departments. Finally, discouraged, 1 left for Australia.

I understand that, shortly after wards, a Japanese group took over our Goroka beehives, posted a Japanese technician there, and now all honey is going to Japan. If that is not neo-colonialism?

The second example is Agnes Taureka’s originally good idea of a thong factory. 1 don’t know how it is working, now, but 1 paid more in Cairns for PNG thongs (in sym pathy) than for Chinese ones.

Meanwhile, it would seem so easy and cheap to use Papuan rubber in stead of importing expensive rubber from Asia. I bet another “expert” is going to write, straight away, a book on the subject.

John Huon.

Queensland.

Impasse In The Cooks

Island Foods Ltd, processors of citrus and pineapple products in the Cook Islands reported a poor year last year with a net profit of only S3OOO (PIM. Feb, p 67). This re sults largely from falling throughput and increased costs. Ironically the one cost which has hardly increased is the cost of the fruit and this factor is a substantial cause of the low throughput.

On the one hand, Island Foods say they will not increase their price unless throughput increases and the growers are hardly interested in in creasing production and in fact can not afford to, unless the price of fruit increases.

In 1969, the price to the grower for oranges was 2.4 cents lb and today it is 2.9 cents. During the same period the NZ retail price of a tin Df Raro (which takes just over a pound of fruit) increased by 10 :ents. As the growers cannot sell elsewhere they must take the price jffered (despite their increased costs) 3r take up other occupations in Raro onga or New Zealand. They are re porting to this latter alternative in ncreasing numbers and unless there s a drastic change in policy, the uture for both Island Foods and the Tuit industry in Rarotonga looks /ery bleak.

The 1973 season saw the first price ncrease in four years, with a 0.4 cent government subsidy. This was fol owed by record production of citrus or the year.

A Grower.

Rarotonga.