NEW GUINEA

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 63, 16 March 1933, Page 11

NEW GUINEA

HISTORY AND PEOPLE

A STRIKING REVIEW

(From "The Post's" Representative.) SYDNEY,.February 23. . The Commonwealth is fortunate in having in charge of the mandated territory of New Guinea a Minister (Mr. Marr) who is keenly interested in his task. It is no easy matter to supervise the government of a land with so many diverse problems, and Mr Man- has realised the necessity of making a first-hand study of the land which depends so much on his sympathy and understanding. He has made two personal visits to the territory, and it is evident from his public utterances that he has learned a great' deal of the many queer customs of the natives. This has enabled him to approach the many problems with a thorough knowledge of what he has to face, and the League of Nations has already expressed appreciation of what lias been done to date. In an address in Sydney this week Mr. Marr gave a striking review of New Guinea and its people.

Mr. Marr said that when the Portuguese discovered New Guinea in the early sixteenth century they named it the island of gold. Their prediction of its possibilities seemed likely to be fulfilled, for it was expected that this year more than £1,000,000 worth of gold would be exported from the Maildated Territory alone. As earlj- as ISS3 some Australians realised the importance of Now Guinea and urged its annexation. In that year the Union Jack was hoisted over tho territory by order of the Premier of Queensland, but his action, owing; to a misapprehension, was repudiated by the, British Government. It would have saved much trouble, and would have prevented fighting the Germans for the territory, if the British Government had upheld what the Queensland Premier had done. *

Discussing the mandate, Mr. Marr said it was a pity that Australia could not consolidate Papua and the Mandated Territory under one administration., It would be far better for Australia if she could manage all the territories that surrounded the Australian coast, particularly those islands in the Pacific. Australia, by having a territorial service similar to the British Colonial Service, could train her young men to be pioneers/administrators, and governors. Some steps had already been taken in that direction, for the ■ Commonwealth specially trained young men for service in New Guinea." It was realised that men could not be appointed to responsible positions else--where unless they were specially trained. When applications for cadetships were invited recently, 2000 young men offered their services, including several with university degrees. One was a lecturer in economics, and he was among the 76 who were' undergoing a special course.

Mr. Marr told of the difficulties in estimating the population of jSTow Guinea. An early German estimate was 33,000. Successive calculations had arrived at higher figures, and at present it was thought that the number was 521,000. Probably the population would be found to be 1,000,000, for there were large areas in the hinterland that had not yet been explored. There was an extraordinary diversity of languages among the natives. The Germans were not good linguists. German was a hard language to learn, and as a result the civilised natives spoke a pidgin English which they had been .taught by the Germans. Though Australia had responsibilities to the white population, .its first responsibility was to the "natives, to whom the country .first belonged. The Government was making that its aim. It became necessary to study the native customs, and even to think as they thought. He instanced the case of a gift, of axes to some tribes. It was essential that largo axes should be given only to the chief, and small tomahawks, to the lessor heads. Knives were given toithe elder boys, but it would have offended tribal custom if anything had been given to the very young boys. Although there was ah indentured labour system, there was no slavery, and. one was struck by' -the improvement in the physique of the . natives who had wdrked ' under and had been fed.by white men.

Aviation had revolutionised travel, and a trip to the goldfiolds which previously took seven days was accomplished •in three-quarters of an hour. The- natives seemed to be fascinated by the aeroplanes, and were always keen to travel in them. Not long ngo ono of tho large aeroplanes left the coast for the goldflelds with a cargo which consisted of a bull and two cows. When the animals had been landed 32 native stowaways climbed out of tlie machine. The'missions were doing a great work. There were more than 130 stations in charge of Europeans, and about 1100 in charge of natives, an army of Christian workers of about 2000. They had established nearly 1500 places of worship, and had played an invaluable part in the religious, educational, industrial, and medical activities of the Mandated Territories. Schools to the number of 1450 were educating 40,000 pupils, and 39 hospitals eared for 6000 patients in 1931. The missions operated sawmills, stores, and plantations, the proceeds, of which were utilised towards furthering the aim "to share and to serve."

Such of the cable news on this pace as\ IS so headed has appeared in "The Times" and Is cabled to Australia and New Zealand by special permission. It should be understood that the opinions are not those of "The Times" unless expressly stated to be so.