Review of Reviews, 2012/06. 



INTERVIEWS ON TOPICS OF THE MONTH. 



AUSTRALASIAN INTERVIEWS. 



LXVII.-A BROWN NEW GUINEA. 

 THE RIGHT REV. THE BISHOP OF NEW GUINEA (DR. STONE WIGG.) 



The Bishop of New 

 Guinea has been in 



Melbourne for the 

 last three months, 

 and has fallen into 

 a contro\ e r s y in 

 which all the laurels 

 go to hi in. The 

 matter is of suffi- 

 cient importance to 

 deal with in the 

 •• R e v i e w, " for it 

 affects t he ques- 

 tion of the adminis- 

 tration of New 

 (luinea in some 

 very important par- 

 ticulars. 



• What is all this 

 fuss about?" I ask- 

 ed the genial 

 Bishop. 

 "Well, it arose 

 „ ,. , , rn . . from a sermon I 



Burhngtoit,] [Photo. , . , 



The Right Rev. the Bishop of p reached in the 

 New Guinea. Cathedral here, in 



which I suggested that a ■brown New Guinea' was 

 an eminently desirable thing, on account of the 

 abuses which were introduced into the territory by 

 some whites. I was instantly attacked, and words 

 were put into my mouth that I never said. It was 

 stated that I libelled Australians, when, as a matter 

 of fact. I never mentioned them particularly ; that 

 I was a visionary, and that generally my administra- 

 tion and my views were both such as no right-think- 

 ing Australian could tolerate. It is said that we 

 missionaries do not protect the natives, and that 

 what is good for Australians is good enough for 

 Papuans ; that Papua is for Australia and not Aus- 

 tralia for Papua. Now I do not resent fair criticism. 

 and I am quite prepared to acknowledge that our 

 system is not perfect — moreover, we are always glad 

 to receive visitors to New Guinea — but I do resent 

 any person of no settled religious views at all, and 

 whose opinion on church and mission work in a city 

 like Sydney or Melbourne would have no weight 

 whatever, coming to New Guinea and acting as a 

 critic on a purely religious work." 



•• You might define the position from your point 

 of view.'' 



" As a matter of fact, what I say is that Papua 

 needs protection, not fiscal but moral. There is 

 now no check on immigration. The gaol-bird from 

 Australia or any other part of the world can go into 

 New Guinea and settle where he likes, and it is a 

 >us matter to give opportunity for the scum of 

 the earth to mingle with a native people. By far the 

 greater part of the 642 people in Papua are law- 

 abiding. a\u\ have as great a dislike and contempt 

 for the undesirable as 1 have. But there are white 

 people then- who would be a disgrace to an\ com- 

 munity, and 1 think that New Guinea ought to be 

 able to keep them out." 



•• You ought to have every right-minded person 

 with you in that contention." 



"Yes; well, here is another consideration. We 

 have 3600 miles of littoral, comprising an area as 

 large as Victoria, something like 90,000 square 

 miles. There are only 17 white officers as Magis- 

 trates and Assistant Magistrates, and at their back 

 only 150 armed native constables. In any case, it 

 is a difficult thing to obtain a verdict against a 

 white person for any offence against the Papuans, 

 for the simple reason that white blood does not 

 care to see white blood get into difficulties." 



"But the Magistrates?"' 



" The Magistrates do their duties faithfully ; but 

 it is difficult to get satisfactory evidence. This will 

 give you an idea of their difficulties. , Mr. Monck- 

 ton, Resident Magistrate of the Northern Division, 

 says in the Papuan Report just issued by the Com- 

 monwealth Parliament: — 'The small white popula- 

 tion has been responsible for two murders and one 

 shooting with intent, while one individual who broke 

 gaol had several of the most serious charges against 

 him. Unfortunately, among the white community, 

 there is a section by whom a native is regarded as 

 a " nigger," who has no right of redress against a 

 European for any injur} - sustained, even though it 

 is a case of life itself. Lamentable though such bias 

 is, it is there, and with that section, however atroc- 

 ious a European's crime may be, he is certain of 

 sympathy and assistance in evading the law.' There 

 are some things in New Guinea that are so dis- 

 reputable that my clamour for a ' Brown New 

 Guinea ' is a perfectly reasonable one." 



