AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINES

Greymouth Evening Star, 19 October 1939, Page 2

AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINES

SETTLERS’ ALLEGATI ON S. SYDNEY, October 2. Allegations that the majority of Northern Territory buffalo shooters supply aboriginal employees with methylated spirits for drinking purposes instead of paying them in kind or money for work performed were made by two settlers from the interior who recently visited Darwin. They said that the practice was also prevalent among Katherine River peanut growers and some station owners. The settlers claimed that buffalo shooting camps could be run much more cheaply by giving native employees methylated spirit, which was less costly than the food, clothing, and ornaments that normally would be handed out as payment. They said that it was difficult to get native labour unless spirit was given, that the natives preferred spirit to any other form of payment, and that settlers who did not supply them with it suffered in defections of their aboriginal employees to settlers and buffalo shooters who distributed spirit. The settlers alleged that the practice was begun by Katherine River peanut growers several years ago. Both accused the Department of Native Affairs of having taken scarcely any action to stop the traffic. “A responsible officer has reported to me that the traffic exists, and 1 believe it does,” said the Director of Native Affairs (Mr E. W. P. Chinnery). ”My department for some time has been trying to devise means to.get at the root oi: things to put an end to the traffic. We experience the greatest difficulty in obtaining from natives the names of persons who supply them with spirits. The remoteness of buffalo shooters' camps militates against satisfactory supervision. To enable a prosecution to he made, wo must catch the offenders red-handed.”

The superintendent of the Northern Territory Police (Mr. A. V. Stretton i said that, police patrols had boon made at intervals into the buffalo country, hut. although on each occasion, systematic search was made for evidence of the traffic, none was fopml.