SENSATIONAL EVIDENCE

Evening Star, Issue 19549, 6 May 1927, Page 4

SENSATIONAL EVIDENCE

AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINES SITTING OF KOVAL COMMISSION Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright, PERTH, May 5, . The North-west Commission, which is inquiring into the alleged killing of natives, heard sensational evidence ' given in a letter produced by the Commissioner of Police from Police Tnspec- ! tor Douglas, who stated that he visited I Golegqte Merrie where he found ! twenty-one human teeth and undoubted burnt human remains at two fifes He was told that four aboriginal i.vn bad been burned at one fire and three gins !at the other. In a further statenient ! he said his investigations had satisfied I him that sixteen natives had been burned in three lots. Thousands oF 'bona fragments remained. I Early in March the Rev. E. R. Cribble, head of the Forrest River Mis- ■ sion, giving evidence before the Royal Commission inquiring into the alleged : killing of natives I> the police in the country north and west of the Forrest River district, said that the sixteen men | and fifteen women who were reported ■ missing in September were frequnt visitors to the mission, but they had not been seen since June last. In August, 1 accompanied by Inspector Mitchell and several natives, he left to investigate the reports, which had become so peri sistent. They found ' the camp where | the police bail evidently _ been for some time. There were unmistakable signs of natives hrfiug been present, but no trace of their leaving. He was confident that there had been a tragedy, but Inspector Mitchell seemed to think otherwise. Statistics prepared by the Commonwealth Census Bureau, in. conjunction with the protector of aborigines in each State, show that the number of fullblooded aborigines in Australia has decreased by 3,119 between June, 1924, and June, 1926. In 1924 there were 62,415; in 1926, 59,296. The number in Victoria is reduced to 55—28 adult males, 18 adult females, and 9 male children. There are, however, 459 half-castes—l 42 adult males, 128 adult females, .101 male children, and 88 female children. In 1926 there were in, Australia 22,245 full-blood adult males, 16,812 adult females, 5,499 male children, and 4,740 female children. The population in the various States was as follows-—New South Wales, 1,031; Victoria, 55; Queensland, 13,604; South Australia, 2,531; Western Australia, 22,222; Northern Territory, 19,853. .. In addition there were in June, 1926, 15,102 half-castes, the lumber having increased from 12,302 in 1924. Or these 4,350 were adult males, 3,610 adult females, 3,667 male children, and 3,475 female children. Of the total full-blood and halfcastes 23,329 were nomadic, 9,743jwere in regular employment, and 13,776 in supervised camns.