WORK IN PAPUA

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 132, 30 November 1935, Page 32

WORK IN PAPUA

AUSTRALIAN OFFICERS

ASPECTS OF NEW DISCOVERIES

BASIS OF KNOWLEDGE

"Ever since I-have been.> administering the Government of Papua I wonder each year more and more why it is that the outside men,.as. we call them in the Papuan service, receive so little credit for the really wonderful work they have done in the mountains and swamps of the Territory, and so far as I can see, I am likely to go on wondering until I die." ' Sir Hubert Mufray, Lieutenant-Governor, "Annual Report, 1921-22." A visitor to Papua, one of those helpful souls ever prodigal of bright ideas, suggested to me the other day that it would be a good thing if Sir Hubert Murray should send out a few more men like the redoubtable Jack Hides and ypung O'Malley—"to open up the place and that sort of thing," writes Alexander Kentoul in the "Sydney Morning Herald."

I gazed at the main wonderingly. Then I remembered what Sir Hubert had said in 1922' and I felt comforted. There seemed to be so many Australians quite ignorant 'of what was going on in their own. colonial^ territory that yet, another did not seem to matter very much.

But as the evening breeze set in from the mainland, of Papua I seemed to hear what the ears of this city- , trained enthusiast failed to recognise —the sound of the heavily shod feet of lonely "outside nien" crunching their way along the limestone1 razorbacks of the, main range, or engaged in their daily task of keeping open the ways between civilisation and the. stone age. I seemed to hear the clink of rowlocks as a Government whaleboat, propelled by a .weary crew of half-naked Papuans, fought its way against the current -of an inland stream, bringing the law to the people of the swamp lands. There came to me again the pulsating note of a Government launch beleaguered off the Gulf coast toiling against wind and tide towards the landfall beyond, and from all along the coastline there seemed to come to me the happy.murmur of countless Papuan.;' natives gathering around: their fires arid- cooking-pots for the evening meal, freed from their dread of the inland tribes now brought under control by the "Big Gubiment."

And away in' Port Moresby I could see in. fancy the bronzed and travelstainei Sir Hubert Murray back from still another visit of; inspection to his outside stations. How many thousands of .miles he has- travelled through the rough-places of the Teritory during the' last twenty years it would be interesting to compute. : . It is natural that the immense interest shown by the people of Australia in the achievements of the latest HidesO'Malley expedition should be appreciated by every "outside" member of the Papuan service... ; Under the leadership of its chief, this service was for many years content to proceed on its lawful occasions without undue publicity. In a way it was a silent service. It was to be expected, however, that on the establishment of a sister Australian service across the range's in the Mandated Territory there should be set up some spirit of healthy competition. It may be admitted that the new service, faced by such nov^J. conditions, made some mistakes. That was but natural. Unfortunately, errors in x native administration too often result in loss of life to both whites and natives, and, to my mind, these initial blunders and subsequent casualties served in their ■ way to bring upon the Mandate ser- ! vice a limelight of publicity such as ' the elder and more experienced- Papuan service had never enjoyed.

ritory of Papua'to develop, and «o little money with which to do the job. that the denizens of those lovely valleys' may rest content in their isolation for many yeats'to come. -, , fcv Regarding the jise of aeroplani>f ffor work of" this description, I would suggest that the' introduction of such; • a rapid and easy, means of. commiinication might result immediately in loss of value and efficiency to, our inland patrols. , . ,•./*,. The taming of these'outlying natives of New Guinea is"a job that should" not' be hurried. It is only* byi patient-arid >. wearisome foot slogging and by; gaining close personal contact with these very shy people that their confidence can at last be secured and maintain- „ cd. The first impact of civilisation must be a very.trying and startling experience for these people ot-the'tiv* ' ing past. To swoop upon them,from the sky would, to my perhaps conserve tive mind, prove the very worst method that one mijiht, adopt. Anyhow, it as not tfone that way la 1 Papua.