Natives Desert Villages In Papua-New Guinea

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29744, 10 February 1962, Page 17

Natives Desert Villages In Papua-New Guinea

(N.Z JP .A.' ‘Reuter)

PORT MORESBY Thousands of the 1,800,000 natives of Papua-New Guinea every year are deserting their villages in answer to bush telegraph stories of life in the territory’s towns. In each of these towns the natives are making more serious the problems of overcrowding, unemployment, illness and, in some cases, nearstarvation.

Many have become disgruntled, but few return to their villages. And, every week, more natives are travelling as much as 400 miles to try their luck in Port Moresby, Aitape, Wewak, Lae, Mandang and other white population centres. In two years, Port Moresby’s native poulation has risen from 17,000 to 25,000. The Papua-New Guinea Administration and the territory’s missionaries are worried.

“It’s a real problem, but what can we do?” asks the Administration’s Director of Native Affairs (Mr J. K. McCarthy). “We haven’t got enough policemen to escort all of these people back to their villages. What I’m really worried about Is a population explosion . Forty delegates to a conference between the Adminstration and missioners operating in the territory agreed that the village-to-towns drift created a serious, dual problem. Natives are crowding into shanty towns without adequate means of support, or sufficient qualifications or experience to earn a wage to support their families. Loss from villages of the younger and more active men disheartens those who stay: in some areas the village system is breaking down. Dr. J. Kruder, of the Lutheran Mission, said the proolem lay with the apparent abandonment of the policy of developing village or cottage industry. “The tendency now seems to be development as fast as possible of a population able to take its place in the modern world,” he said “If this is the policy of the administration, then the missions and the Administration should take cognisance of the fact and develop a definite plan to meet it.” Mr D. E. Ure. of the London Missionary Society, said that so much emphasis was placed on the academic side of education that “we have failed to tackle the problem of the basic economy in which most of the territory’s natives will live out their days.” Ruring a recent Wewak show-day address, the territory’s Assistant Administrator (Mr H. H. Reeve) said:—“All development must be balanced. Social and economic progress must be dovetailed . . . with a target of self-determination we must aim first to swing the pendulum towards an economic self-sufficiency." Spotlighting the problem, the Administration’s Central District Officer (Mr D. Marsh) said:—“An average of 10.1 natives occupy each native house in Port Moresby—the average should be 4.8. Experience shows thait

building houses for new natives does not solve the question. Once they get a house they immediately invite others from villages to share it with them.” Port Moresby, he feels, has •felt the village-to-town impact more than other territory towns, mainly because economic potential in and around Port Moresby is more promising.

Port Moresby’s native population jumped 8000 in two years. It was inevitable that this trend would continue, Mr Marsh said. When in towns, former villagers brought up their children so that their children regarded themselves as urban dwellers, he added This factor. apart from the new movement of population, was creating the basis of a population explosion within the towns.

The Bougainville Methodist missiosary (Mr G. G. Carter) said that village life should be made more attractivebetter recreation, schooling, and medical facilities.

The Native Affairs Director (Mr McCarthy) said: “This is not a problem that can be solved by legislation. It seems the best way to tackle the problem is to begin in the villages.” Thousands of natives who have poured into Port Moresby live in three major villages—the fishermen’s and retailers’ market town of Koki (about 3000); the Government-rebuilt water town of Hanuabada (about 6000); and the causewaylinked Port Moresby harbour of Tatana, on which live about 6000.

The colourful, highly exaggerated bush-telegraph (word of mouth) attracts the natives. But what are they told? According to administration hills-country patrol officers, the natives are coaxed by highly exaggerated accounts of the chance for all to earn up to £A3 a week, and the attractions of European department stores, clothes, cars, theatres, chocolates and soft-drink. Many who come into towns are unemployed cause rationing among those with whom they live, are given preference in homes owned or tenated by others Those employed work for Government instrumentalities, essential service organisation-, or as cook and wash boys for European householders Those unemployed live off the land —even cats and dogs are unsafe.