‘VOTE FOR JOHNSON’

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30399, 25 March 1964, Page 23

‘VOTE FOR JOHNSON’

Natives Wanted Americans fN.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) PORT MORESBY, 23. A reported outbreak of “election cultism" among the natives of New Hanover island Is being investigated by the Papua-New Guinea administration. According to the reports, the natives have refused to pay council' and head taxes after they were told they could not vote for President Lyndon Johnson in the territory’s general election.

New Hanover is a small island off the northern tip of New Ireland. A New Hanover plantation manager, Mr Stan Weston, aged 47, told reporters in Lae he had been warned shortly after the elections began in February by administration officials that natives on his property were preparing to vote for Mr Johnson. ‘Americans Good' Investigating, he found a large blackboard in the centre of one village. He said that on it were words in pidgin English which, in essence, read: “You Australians cannot tell us who to vote for. We want to vote for the United States President because Americans are good people.” Mr Weston said the message concluded: “Australians raus”—pidgin for “Australians get out.” Mr Weston added that he had managed to talk his villagers out of voting for Mr Johnson, and the Johnson movement then subsided. But it was also reported at the other end of the island.