NAURU CHIEFS

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 9, 11 January 1923, Page 7

NAURU CHIEFS

PRAISE FOR AUSTRALIA

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

SYDNEY, 3rd January,

An unusual document has been forwarded to the Prime Minister—a memorandum from the native chiefs of Nauru, expressing appreciation of the treatment of the natives under British and Australian rule in the terms of the mandate. The memorandum is written in the Nauruan language, and was adopted at a gathering of all the tribes on the is-^ land. "We have far greater freedom' now than we had under German rule," the memorandum states. "It is doubtful, indeed, from what we read, whether the people of other small countries, such as ours, enjoy equal freedom." The memorandum continues: "We hear that statements are being made by persons in authority that the interests of the Nauruans are not so well looked after by the British Administration as they were under German rule, and the fact that Chinese are being employed to work the , phosphate deposits on the island is said ! to be detrimental to the Nauruans generally. We, the head chief and chiefs of the island, speaking for and on the behalf of our people, wish you to let the rulers of the nations know that we have no fault to find with the present Administration. On the contrary, we are grateful for all that the Administration has done to advance our interests, and more than all, we are grateful to the League of Nations for placing us under the protection of so great a nation as the British Empire. "Under German rule our lands were taken from us and handed over to the Phosphate Company without our consent being first obtained, or without any compensation being paid to us. That we were paid a royalty of five pfennings (halfpenny) per ton on all phosphate shipped is true; but "we are sure that all reasonable people will admit that sucli a payment was ridiculously inadequate, and we are well aware that -at the time the Phosphate Company was making an immense profit from the sale of our phosphate. We have all along contended that the act of the German Government in granting a concession to any company, without our consent, to exploit phosphate on the land of which we are the owners was unjust and tyrannical. However, the present Administration has changed all that. "With regard to the British administration generally, we wish to say to the world that the whole trend of the administration is to improve onr social and moral welfare, and, whilst to some of us some of the legislation may appear irritating, yet we all recognise it is for our common good. We feel that the Administration is gradually and surely improving our conditions. There is compulsory education, and the authorities are subsidising the mission schools, so as to obtain the best results. Sanitation laws have been passed, and our island is now in a clean and healthy state The curfew restrictions have been removed, mid, in a measure, self-govern-ment has been granted to the cniefs. For all this we arc ckeulv eratcful, and onr great wish, is not only that we shall continue under the protection of Great Britain, hut that in the neay future we p!i!>!] fnvm c»u't ana parcel of that great .Empire," - '