The Brisbane Courier, Friday, 11 December 1903, p. 5
THE HON. JOHN DOUGLAS, VISIT TO BRISBANE. AN INTERESTING
INTERVIEW.
The Hon. John Douglas, C.M.G., Government Resident at
Thursday Island, was a passenger to Brisbane by the E. and A. liner Empire,
which arrived in Moreton Bay on Wednesday night. Mr. Douglas came up to
Brisbane yesterday. It is eighteen months since the Government Resident at the
gates of Australia was in Brisbane—on the occasion of his return from a holiday
trip to England. He looks remarkably well, and discussed with keen interest the
public questions of the day. Though resident in the far North, Mr. Douglas
keeps in touch with the world. He was good enough to grant an interview to our
representative on board the Empire, and to offer some observations upon
questions of interest in connection with his sphere of labour.
PEARL-SHELLING INDUSTRY.
The main topic of course with any one from Thursday Island
is the pearl-shelling industry, and the first question put to Mr. Douglas was
upon the subject. “The season has been a very bad one,” Mr. Douglas said, “the
worst we have known for bad weather, that means dirty water, and the take of
shell up to September was scarcely anything, our lowest record. During the past
two months, however, there has been better weather, and a good deal of lost
ground has been made up. The shellers have been lucky enough also to get a good
many pearls, some of them very valuable. They will make up for a good deal of
the lost time earlier in the year. Apart from this fact, in connection with the
industry everything at Thursday Island is going as usual.”
SUPPLY OF LABOUR.
“The supply of labour for the pearling industry is fairly
good now; there are no serious complaints about it. I may mention that there
are a good many New Guinea natives engaged in the fisheries, and they are doing
fairly well. I should say that there are about 200 New Guinea boys employed.
They are well looked after by their own Government—the Government of New
Guinea—which insists that the natives shall only work under the superintendence
of white men. The boys are really doing very well for the industry, and they
are not now being sacrificed as they were at first. In the earlier periods,
when they were engaged, they were allowed to die of berri berri for want of
proper food. They are recruited in New Guinea, and some of them are employed in
New Guinea waters.”
NEW GUINEA AFFAIRS.
Mr. Douglas declined to discuss the position of affairs in
New Guinea, but from passing remarks it was apparent that he regards the
financial question there as of considerable importance to the Commonwealth, so
much so that it may be necessary that the Commonwealth should make advances
necessary for the development of industries, and make the funds a charge
against the possession. Mr. Douglas, on being directly questioned on the
subject, was disinclined to pursue it publicly. The Tugari head hunters, who used
to occasionally visit Queensland shores, especially the islands near New
Guinea, have been very quiet of late, and seem to have given up their desperate
pastime. They have not been heard of for some time. Upon the mining development
of New Guinea and the work of the missionaries Mr. Douglas would not speak,
though he was recently in close touch with that country. The reason of this, it
may be inferred, is that he prefers to let the Administrator of New Guinea
speak for his own country.
MARITIME BOUNDARY.
On one point connected in a measure with New Guinea Mr.
Douglas was less reticent. He was questioned as to the position of a proposal
made some time ago for the rectification of the maritime boundary of
Queensland. “I am rather anxious,” he said, “to draw the attention of the
Government to the necessity of a further rectification. Our present boundary
runs right up to the shores of New Guinea, and includes islands which are not
only adjacent to, but really part of New Guinea. The Commonwealth Parliament is
going to legislate on New Guinea next session, but before they do any act of
legislation I hope this matter of the rectification of the boundaries will be
provided for. It was all settled some time ago by correspondence, Sir Wm.
Macgregor and the Queensland Government, I believe in Sir Hugh Nelson’s time,
had arranged it, and the Colonial Office had agreed to it, and all that was
wanted was an Act of Parliament in Queensland. However, it was never brought
on. There may be a little objection on the part of the Thursday Island people
to it, but I am convinced that the islands concerned will be better looked
after by the New Guinea Government than under the Queensland Government, which
seems rather a strong thing to say, but it is not possible for Queensland to do
the work so well. I know all the facts bearing on the subject at present, and
am satisfied that the administration from New Guinea will be better than from
Thursday Island.”
DARNLEY AND MURRAY ISLANDS.
At Darnley Island, Mr. Douglas said, the natives are very
prosperous, and a much larger number of them are going into the pearling
industry, earning their livelihood at pearl shelling; indeed, some of them are
doing remarkably well, but they have not the faculty of keeping their money. At
Murray Island the people have bought and paid for two boats, which are their
sole property, and a boat has also been purchased on behalf of the natives of
Baru. They expect also to work it out in a few months’ time.
THE NATIVES.
“The native population generally, I may say,” Mr. Douglas
remarked, in reply to a question, “are in a healthy condition, and certainly
not decreasing in numbers, though there have been deaths amongst them, which
can scarcely be accounted for. Some of the women have died from puerperal
fever. My interests in the islands are centred in the schools, which I think
are doing good work, and my chief mission to Brisbane is to see the Government
on the subject in the hope that the work may be extended to some degree.”
These remarks were not applicable to the mainland
aboriginals, concerning whom Mr. Douglas has a somewhat different opinion. “The
poor things,” he said, “it is very difficult to save them. The mission stations
are doing good work amongst them, and Mapoon is giving satisfactory results.
There have been a considerable number of halfcaste children established there
permanently, and who are being educated. These children come from the Normanton
district chiefly.” By Mr. Douglas’s tone rather than his words, there was
conveyed an impression that even in the far North the preservation of the
aboriginals as a race appears hopeless. He, however, seemed appreciative of the
duty of the State in regulating the employment of the aboriginals and in saving
them from themselves as far as possible.
THE DUTCH PORT MAROUKE.
The interest at Thursday Island in the Dutch port of Marouke
seems to have subsided. “It (the port) is ‘just going on,’” Mr. Douglas said,
but the expected exodus from Thursday Island has not taken place. The Dutch are
spending a good deal of money on the port, and will gradually acquire
information about the country which is opened up. The Dutch steamer which used
to come in once a month has ceased plying between Thursday Island and Batavia,
but it still runs between Batavia and Marouke. A Dutch gunboat comes over
occasionally, either the Lombok or Van Dorn. “We are very good
friends, and Mr. Mitchell, of Thursday Island, has been appointed Dutch Consul
and flies the Dutch flag.”
TORRES STRAITS MINING.
At Horn Island there is nothing doing in the way of mining,
but at Possession Island work is going on, and the small crushing plant there
grinds away apace.
DREDGING THE CHANNELS.
“The Chamber of Commerce,” said Mr. Douglas, “is very
anxious to get something done in the way of dredging in the channels of
Thursday Island, and no doubt for a very small expenditure a very great
difference could be made. Whether this can be acceded to or not by the
Government I do not know, but when the work can be done it should be done.
Hovell Bank, not Hovell Rock, is one of the places I refer to. It might be
dredged to a very small extent, so as to provide considerable convenience to
passing steamers. Another place which might be dealt with is what we call the
Seventeen-foot Patch, which could be dredged in a few weeks’ time. We hope to
see this work done soon, and that Thursday Island should not be overlooked as
it has been lately.”
Mr. Douglas is staying at the Bellevue Hotel.
