Protest In New Guinea

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30543, 11 September 1964, Page 11

Protest In New Guinea

(N Z P A.-Reuter —Copyright) PORT MORESBY, September 10. More than 200 angry students from the teachers’ training college today marched on the administration headquarters at Konedobu, Port Moresby, protesting at the reconstitution of the territory’s public service.

The students are angry at announced lowered pay rates for native people who work for the Government. The rates, which were announced yesterday, came into force today.

in announcing details yesterday the public service commissioner, Mr G. D. Somers, said that under the new public service ordinance pay rates for the native people of Papua-New Guinea who worked for the Government would drop between 40 and 45 per cent

In making the announcement, Mr Somers said: “It must be realised by all responsible Papuans and New Guineans that levels of pay for local officers must be related as far as possible to the present cost of living. “This means that Australian rates of pay cannot possibly be continued for local officers,” Mr Somers said. Giving examples of pay drops, the commissioner said

the old wage for a Govern-ment-employed artisan stood at £846 to £902 annually, whether the person was Australian or native. Under the new wage scale for native artisans only the wage will now be £360 to £420 annually. The new pay rates in the reconstituted public service, which aimed at the eventual take-over of all Government jobs by native people, do not apply to Europeans who work in the territory. Their pay rates remain unchanged. This morning one of the leaders of the marching students, Roger Hauofa, said the students were dissatisfied with the Government’s method of announcing changes in the service for native people. Because of this they decided to march in protest