EXPERIENCES WITH THE NATIVES 155 



of trade worth l or 30s. I did this in the first instance 

 out of gratitude, but afterwards found it was also good 

 business, for if I went back to a district at any time 

 I found the boys anxious to work for me. 



On this question of native labour the future indus- 

 trial prosperity of Papua depends. Can the native 

 be got to work steadily without compulsion ? Or will 

 it be necessary to compel him to work ? Or should 

 we do as has been done in Fiji, let the native coloured 

 race keep to its habits of idleness, and bring in coolies 

 from India for the plantations ? All the politics of 

 Papua hinge on these questions. The third one, 

 however, need hardly be asked. The Australian 

 Government would never permit the example of Fiji 

 to be followed, and is resolved on a policy of " Papua 

 for the Papuans." A proposal to compel the 

 Papuan to do a little work, either for himself, for the 

 Government, or for the planters, has also been vetoed 

 by Australia : though it is possible that that decision 

 may be reconsidered one day. At present the policy is 

 to try to coax the Papuan to ways of steady industry. 



The Lieut. -Governor, his Excellency Colonel 

 Murray, has now some hope that the native sloth 

 of the Papuan is being overcome by his greed for 

 the white men's " trade," and he thinks that the 

 " labour problem ' : might thus be solved. The 

 official reports from various districts for 1911 give 

 some grounds for this optimism. Here are the main 

 facts of the reports of various officials : 



