UNTOLD WEALTH.

Otago Witness, Issue 3673, 5 August 1924, Page 26

UNTOLD WEALTH.

COLOURED LABOUR. SYDNEY, July 20. The perennial question of white or coloured labour for the north of Australia has been reopened by Dr Trower, who tor 14 years has been bishop of the great-North-West diocese, with headquarters at Broome, on the coast of Western Australia. Bishop Trower speaks of the untold wealth which he is convinced can be won from the soil and the adjacent seas in that part of the continent, but he is equally convinced that the economic development and the vast resources can only be satisfactorily accomplished by the aid of coloured labour, eitner through indentured coo.ies or by leasing the whole of the north to chartered companies similar to those which developed Rhodesia, The bishop makes an pronouncement upon a matter which is of Empire importance. In the Commonwealth itself, lie says, the white population of the North-West and the Northern Territory had been decreasing from year to year for many years past. Ho believed that since he had first gone to the North-West, about 14 years ago, the white population had decreased by nearly 50 per cent, in the Territory there was now only a handful of white people, and those who lived in Darwin were to an extent dependent on Government doles. White people could live in either extreme hot or cold climates, they could not permanently settle there. In the North it had been found that a change or visit to the South was necessary, especially for women and children, to whom a trip to more temperate regions was an absolute necessity. He believed that the North-West possessed wonderful possibilities. It was well known that it contained an extraordinary variety of minerals, including gold, iron, tin and copper, all of whieft might be used for the good of the world. Those minerals, however, could not oe worked in the North with white labour at the price that the labour demanded for its services. The fact was that, even more than from a health point of view, the great problem of the North was one of economics. It was impossible to get the minerals from the ground if it cost £4 to get £2 worth. To him, as an outsider, the soil of the north appeared eminently suitable for agriculture. It was wonderfully productive. He nad never seen finer vegetables grown in any part of the Empire than he had seen in the North-West. Practically every station possessed its own vegetable garden. Water supplies were available everywhere along the coast, and for a distance of 205 miles inland, either by sinking shallow wells, or putting down artesian bores. It was possible to grow everything that was wanted on the stations, and he could not see why more or less intensive agriculture should not be possible, over a great part of the country. In the extreme north, or the real tropical part of the State, conditions were very similar to Central Africa, where he nad lived for eight years prior to coming to Western Australia. Both places possessed their regular tropical rains, with the greater part of the year dry and not. In Central Africa, coffee, cotton, tobacco, ground nuts, sisal hemp, millet, and practically all the tropical cereals and fruits were grown. He did not know why similar crops were not grown in NorthWest. His knowledge did not permit him saying that rubber, sugar and rice could not be grown in certain parts of the north. When they turned from the land, with its agricultural and mineral possibilities, they came to the sea, which contained a harvest only waiting to Be gathered. ’ There was probably no coastal seas in the whole world that appeared to be so well stocked with fish. There were whales, sharks, (whose skins were now being extensively used for leather), dimong, turtles of both the edibm and shell varieties) sponges, and quantities of fish from the great kmgfish down to the garfish and whiting. The oysters of the North-West were excellent. The presence of those great supplies of fish gave the possibility of establishing fish canneries and smoke-curing factories. but the fact remained that all the industries which might be started were kept closed because of the economic problem connected with their establishment.

Dealing with the introduction of coloured indentured labour Bishop Trowel said that Sir fibster Fraser, when he vyas in Australia, had advised that an imaginary line should be drawn across the continent, separating the tropical from the temperate parts. North of the line indentured labour should Be used for development purposes. In his (Bishop Trowers) opinion, Australia should follow the methods employed in the Malay States. On the rubber plantations m Malaya whole families from Southern India were located to do the labouring work. They had their own stores and temples, hut, so far as he was awar,., no time limit was fixed on their stay in Malaya. He understood that they had now become an established part of the community. So far as the north was concerned, lie would liciv© families brought from Southern India and indentured to individual whites or to companies with the provision that at the end of five years they should all be returned to their own country and also that they should not ho allowed to re-engage for employment in Australia. The necessary legislation would have to he insisted upon to keep them within tjie area set apart for indentured labour. No child born in Australia. should possess any rights as .a citizen of Australia, but should belong absolutely to the country of the parents origin. In that wav there would be no real infraction of the White Australia policy, and thousands of whites would find employment as overseers and responsible people in charge of coolies. fhs

same law which existed in the case of Asiatics being brought into Australia by steamers without leave could be applied to the persons to whom the coolies would be indentured. Any coolie who came south' of the line fixed should be immediately deported at the cost of the person responsible for his engagement. “Another possibility for the development of the north,” said Bishop Trower, “is the drawing of an imaginary line across the continent, and the leasing of all the land north of the line to chartered companies, like the Chartered Company of Rhodesia was. The companies could be left free to make their own laws md arrangements for their areas, subject., of course, to the Federal Parliament. They could introduce such labour as they would require under conditions which could Re approved of. In such a case it would not be Australia that would be introducing the coloured labour, if the scheme was a failure the responsibility would rest on the chartered company. If it were a success at the end of, say, 25 or 30 years, the area wo'uld revert to the Commonwealth, which would find a used and developed country which it could cany on on the same lines as the companies did, if it saw fit; or else it could extend the leases granted to the companies and permit them to continue their work. '