A PAPUAN ROMANCE

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 82, 5 April 1924, Page 16

A PAPUAN ROMANCE

JWHITE lIAN WHO SAVED AN- ■ ■-.';•■■•.;■'■•■ ISLAND.: " --

misery^ to- one of affluence, the-natives qf^ajl^UEia-nd^of the^Torres '^traits have W^p'ja^^d by, the. initiative; and; enterpri^^'f'^iiQvWhitgikraii^ir. .""F. W. \^l£e^maSSgi£|~auectSr'"of ,'the' sa-p&n-Jaduslriesj^says-tie^Daily Chrdh- • jcte^S* j,'she sloryfdifthis notab"le;.exam T pie of what fhe white nian,:can. do for the backward native races of..'the! Brit-,: ish ijmpire was detailed by Mr. Walker. 'in a.paper given .before the- Royal Societies of Arts meeting recently. ■ Whe'nVa>..mis_sioner \f or the London. Missionary .Society:'some years ago, Mr.' Walker.-"came acrossv'these wretched' nativcsV:.:andsinstead;rofiapplying for,vGov- ' ' e?^.s}^tt?|>i^ i^uW^JyuSone.ift^sucb." - 'circiiHisfcancest"^~".' A >• i> V T .'c,^.^ >■■<.. '•• |^B^?^;o3I'ivto"'bu1 'ivto"'buy t .a ' boa^. fbrSi'them cft^eJTO^wqrkjjjaiEdjfthus:enable -:tjle"m ■ ,w%r^Ti3e,46ri-Jtfiein^sesJ^anail'Stoeir: {JS^li-and^f2sloll6^yjs.tead -£61" always' .d^en^mg;tir^i : ihß|.i!lS^rriment lor1 SMes/'of ■idod:.:'''i IBey'^efyV eagerly ac-1 fitted my offer, $gd;;;wsrkeelr with such".' fttfergy .that withife-feigiitfeeniyiionths theyi •■jwttj only providedyor^iilieirs'Own required- , pleats but they' pliiiiW'ofJifth'.e :whole' cbstr ' ofnhe boai^ . \ fHfZ™&tr'~-r':': ":.'■ . i;'«;; The late . Sir. '-J^phji-iponglas, .'a*ibrJner ■Prpmier-of•.;Qfleensiand,: wKo!"lield |MJ|^?i^#Sffifflif3gsid e nt : fpr,. t.H6iWtirth--uat -the*1 time;^was ■ sd"pldSp'd' with this experiment that he, arranged ft pr.lthe".Jwiolij-i'Tbf :;the, business::.transac^' . tions in connection with the working of this boat to be dealt. witli through his office. When it proved such a great success^he '. started",' other?Mboats, and wh«a the- Papuan .' Limited^ tarfJs'eaTvbn; afoTscehe. I^Wiif&wl 'W& $m fcStysh^.saevelqpi^nte.9;/!/| "AVrtiie presentitime' tiery is^v^fleet of twenty-sfs native-owhedV boats at •work, of an a,vjerage value 'of: £400 per boat ; making-: -a totals value, -of oyer fia^Op^formhiß.fleet^afi^of^ which&jg owaed^ana !has; b«ihlpaid for'AiyJ^ne natives tout Yof.itheir' c-wn learnings/: v/ ■': • i inVone^year il&.OOO-wortk'b'f-'producB^ was collected. , Everything is done, on a_ strictly business basis. . All the m'arme,produce is sold in Thursday Island^ by public-, tender,^ underA the supervisiorio£ tt^'iProtecforSof^AboiiginaJs.l- r>'W.e' .■ per cent:'is banked "by th.r. Government asjua island fund for "lean times," and each man iis.sre-warded.; accprdmctto'-the-wo* % J^ptdonci. 'X IhetdSvernmentf: saaworAsnperrises/tife^looks:^ '^tJrider" - toese oondilaoiis, explMiied Mr? Walker the natives are -working with surprising • «?«gy,_ th generously „ contribute to ,^ff darrches,' and'their physique and character arejmproving. \ ■'".;