A NEGLECTED RACE

Evening Star, Issue 22629, 22 April 1937, Page 13

A NEGLECTED RACE

AUSTRALIA’S ABORIGINES “ STAIN ON OUR HONOUR.” When opening the Australian Missionary Conference in Sydney last week the Rev. J. W. Burton, who presided, said that'the treatment of the aborigines had been a stain on the honour of the people and Governments of Australia. “ It is one of the tragedies of this Commonwealth,” he said, “ that we have treated that dispossessed race in such a manner. The problem has been largely shirked by Governments. If these people had a vole, which meant something at election time, they would not be neglected. HALF-CASTES INCREASE, “ I wonder how tho Prime Minister and Cabinet Ministers can go to, the Coronation ceremony and prate about the part Australia plays in this great Riapire, when they ha ye acquiesced in the treatment of these people at our very doors. Unless the nation is aroused and we do. our duty, these people will be devastated —almost extinguished. As they go down they will drag down with them a great many of our young men; and if you want any proof of that, let me direct your 'attention to the enormous increase in the number of half-castes in Northern and Central Australia. “I have evidence in my possession,” said Mr Burton, “ of the treatment of some of our aboriginal women in the north by the crews of some of our Australian-owned luggers. I am _ sure if these were read and published throughout Australia our people would be purple with indignation. If our people were aroused they would turn but neck and 'crop any Government responsible, if by acquiescence, for treatment such as this. _ It is time we brought' before the public and the Government the sense of their resnonsibility. I “ OUTLOOK OUT OF PRO-

PORTION.” “ We can spend £30.000,000 on defence,” he said, “ but if we asked the Government for £30,000 to elevate these people that request would probably he denied. The whole outlook is out of proportion.” Ho added that there were still 1,000,000 people in the Pacific Islands who had not yet received any message of the Gospel. Mr Burton said that several months ago he had submitted a report on the ill-treatment of aboriginal women to the Federal Government.

The report to conference on the aborigines stated that at present there were considered to be more than 77,000 natives and half-castes living. Of these 54,378 were, full-bloods and 22,817 half-castes, of whom 26,442 were in Western Australia. 18,244 in the Northern Territory, 17,495 in Queensland, 10,276 in New South Wales, 3,788 in South Australia, 630 in Victoria, 263 in Tasmania, and 57 in the Federal Capital Territory. In 1925 there wero 13,962 half-castes, whereas there were now 22,817. “ The number of full-bloods is continually decreasing,” stated the report, “ while the number of half-castes is being added to at a rapidly increasing rate. The _ time is not far off when the aboriginal problem will be almost entirely a half-caste one.”