Review of Reviews, 20/2/06. 



Topics of the Month. 



Mi 



" What does your ' Brown New Guinea ' really 

 mean ?" 



•• Of course I do not for a moment mean to say 

 that no white person should be allowed to go. to 

 Xew Guinea. It is merely a term to attract atten- 

 tion, something like a ' White Australia.' When 

 that term is used, it is not suggested that no person 

 with a brown skin shall enter, but it means that 

 Australia is to be kept as far as possible clear of 

 moral and physical contamination, or of elements 

 which would tend to disorganise her economics: 

 and when I speak of a ' Brown Papua." I mean that 

 we should have an immigration test imposed to 

 keep out those who are mentally, physically and 

 morally unfitted to mingle with a decent community. 

 or to go amongst unprotected natives." 



"And the law is inadequate to repress evilly-dis- 

 posed persons?" 



" Here in Australia one cannot gauge the situa- 

 tion. The white man there has an advantage which 

 you here can hardly grasp. All the tendency of 

 the Government has been to repress the native 

 in the interests, of law and order, so that a white 

 person is now practically immune against attack. 

 Xo matter what excesses he may commit, the law 

 makes his person sacred. You can see, therefore, 

 that there is aH the more reason for the prohibi- 

 tion of the unfitted. We need the best elements in 

 the early life of Xew Guinea."' 



•' You are on right lines. Go on." 



'' Here is an illustration of the need for restric- 

 tion. A man leaves his wife and children in 

 Melbourne without any support, to go to Xew 

 Guinea. Here is another who commits a crime which 

 in a European community would be punishable by 

 law. Why should these men be set loose in Xew 

 Guinea to work moral havoc?" 



" I quite agree with you, but understand there 

 are other very strong reasons why you advocate 

 your ' Brown Xew Guinea.' " 



" Decidedly, and the Federal Government ought 

 to wake up to this. Venereal disease is prevalent 

 to an alarming extent, and it has been introduced 

 bv whites. No one infected with it should be 

 allowed to land. T am emphatic in my belief that 

 it would be the right thing to insist on every person 

 wishing to enter the colony submitting to a medical 

 examination. I am certain that none of mv staff 



would object. We have two lock hospitals, and in 

 one there were 114 admissions during the year. 

 One thing is certain; if it is not stamped out, the ^ 

 disease will sweep through Xew Guinea like a pes- 

 tilence." 



"' The Administrator makes strong reference to 

 it, does he not ?" 



"Yes; in his last report he says: — "The rapid 

 spread of venereal diseases among the natives in 

 the Eastern and South-Eastern Divisions is a matter 

 which the Administration views with grave concern. 

 Special hospitals are Deing equipped to combat this 

 scourge — one at Samarai, and one at Kiriwina, in 

 the Trobriand Archipelago. . . . Apart from 

 reasons of humanity, the matter is one seriously in- 

 volving the future prosperity of the Possession, and 

 demands accordingly every effort to overcome it. 



" Is any distinction made between the Papuan and 

 the foreigner ?' ; 



•• Yes : unfairlv and foolishlv. A native ordi- 

 nance requires the village policeman to report to 

 the Magistrate the case of any native, male or 

 female, suffering from an imported disease, and 

 to take steps to bring them to Samarai for medical 

 treatment. But there is no such ordinance against 

 the white population, and there is nothing to pre- 

 vent the landing of any who are diseased. The 

 greatest care is taken to prevent the introduction of, 

 say, hydrophobia, or plague, to Australia, and it is. 

 only reasonable that measures to keep venereal 

 disease out^of Xew Guinea should be just as strin- 

 gent. When I return to Xew Guinea. I shall pre 

 bably be taken to task for speaking of these things 

 in the southern press : but as a matter of fact I 

 have made mv views on the sexual question known 

 as far as is possible in New Guinea, and have in- 

 vited criticism there. I assure you there is the 

 greatest necessity for plain speaking. I believe that 

 in the providence of God He has given us in Xew 

 Guinea the opportunity to show a higher phase of 

 humanitarianism than was possible in the early davs 

 of Australia, when the natives were exterminated. I 

 am really acting as Australia? best friend in stirring 

 up her conscience." 



I felt as I bade the good Bishop "good-bye" 

 that there i.s reason for devoul thankfulness that 

 so sturdy a defender of right is in New Guinea to 

 help to put things right, and to set our Government 

 on a stable basis as regards the 'best things." 



LXVIIL— SOUTH AUSTRALIAN MATTERS. 



HON. T. PRICE 



The Hon. T. Price, Labour Premier of South 

 Australia, has been on a tour of inspection and 

 pleasure up the Murray River as far as Mildura. 

 after which he came over to Melbourne and in- 

 spected the Victorian irrigation districts in the 



North." It was pleasant to renew his acquaintance, 

 so 1 interviewed him before he left Melbourne. Mr. 

 Kirkpatrick, his genial Chief Secretary, joined in 

 the conversation. Naturally. T was interested to 

 know how the Labour-Liberal Coalition in South 



