A DYING RACE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21920, 4 April 1933, Page 8

A DYING RACE

AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINALS (From Oor Own Correspondent.) SYDNEY, March 23. A cable message from New Zealand recording the death of the last of the Morions has inspired a discussion in Australia as to' whether the Australian aboriginal will follow the road to extinction, Many anthropologists say that unless something is done to check the decline of the race nothing can prevent this from happening. On the other hand those whose duty it is to study statistics deny that the aboriginals are a dying race, but admit the danger of their beconiing one. The end of the Morions follows closely the death of the last representative of the primitive natives, of Tasmania—the one section of Australia which formerly possessed aborigines which differed from those of the rest of the continent. On the mainland itself there are now about 60,000 natives, including halfcastes. Before white settlement the full-blooded population was estimated at 300,000. The serious decline occurred many years ago, and statisticians say that in recent years there has actually been an increase. In recent months considerable importance has been given by anthropologists to the psyschological factor in native race decline. Particularly is this so in Australia where the nomadic race of blacks, quite unwilling or unable to settle itself agriculturally, or as part of the white man’s scheme of things, has felt itself submerged in the wave of civilisation and given up the fight. The blacks in Australia are in striking contrast to virile native races of other lands who have shown that they can thrive, despite contact with the whites. In Papua, for instance, the aboriginal population is increasing, and this applies to the whole of New Guinea, except a few isolated centres where the decline had set in before European settlement. Scientists say that laziness induced by the abolition of tribal war is having a serious effect upon the aborigines of Australia, as is the case with many other native tribes. For the most part the natives of Australia do nothing to fend for themselves, the wanderers in the central and north-west centres of the Continent being exceptions. Once an aboriginal comes under the influence of the missions, or enters a Government reserve, he ceases to hunt and ceases to' work. That aboriginals can work should they fee] inclined is proved by the number who are giving a good account of themselves on various cattle stations. They arc regarded as excellent workmen, trustworthy, and well able to absorb the knowledge essential to their daily tasks. The majority of the halfcastes are lazy and are prepared to live on the small dole given to them by the Government. In some of the settlements in New South Wales the blacks have ample land, but they make no attempt to work it, and once a week they go to the nearby town and collect their bread, groceries and meat. The wisdom of giving the dole and so encouraging laziness has been questioned, but no Government has been courageous enough to stop the issue of these provisions. Anyway there are many Europeans quite I content to live on the dole, so it is not [ surprising that so many blacks are content to follow in their footsteps.