A DYING RACE

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 543, 29 May 1933, Page 2

A DYING RACE

AUSTRALtAN BLACKS 1 9 * 7 \ - f *y « ■ ABORIGINAL POPULATION I ' SHOWS MARKED i g DEGRiEASE. I • / — ■ fl Sydney, Saturday. B A cable massage from New Zealand 1 recording the death' of the last of the 1 Morioi'is has Inspired' a discussi'on' in Ahstralia asi to whether the Australian Ab'oriiginal will follow the road to extinction." ; Many anthropologists say that unless something is done to eheck the decline of • the race nothing ' can prgvent this from happening. On the other hand those whose duty it is to » study statistics deny that the aboriginals are a dying race,. But admit the danger of their becoming one. I The end of the Morioris follows closely the death of the last representative of the primitive natives of Tasmania — the one section of Australia which formerly possessed abori- | gines which differed from those of I the rest of the continent. On the ? main land itself there are now about I 60,000 natives, including half-castes. I Before white settlement the full- | blooded population was estimated at I 300,000. The serious decline oecurred I many years ago, and sbatisticians say j that in recent years there has actual- | ly been an increase. In recent months considerable importance has been given by anthropologists to the psychological factor in native race de- - cline. Barticularly is this so in Australia, where the nomadic race of — hlacks, quite unwilling or unable to settle itself agriculturally, or as part of the white man's scheme of things, has" felt itself submerged in the wave of civilisation and given up the fight. The hlacks in Au'stralia are in striking contrast to virile native races of other lands who have shown that they can thrive, despite contact with the whites. In Paua, for instance, the aboriginal population is increasing, and this applies to the wh'ole of New Guinea, except a few isolated centres where the decline set in jxefore European settlement. Scientists say that laziness indnced by the abolition of tribal war is having a serious effect upon the aborigines of Australia, as is the case with many other native tribes. For the most part the natives of Australia do nothing to f end for themselves', the wanderers in the central and northwest centres of the continent being exceptions. Once an aboriginal comes under the influence of the missions, or enters a Government reserve, he ceases to hunt and ceases to work.

That aboriginals can work should they feel inclined is proved by the number who are giving a good account of themselves on various cattle stations. They are regarded as excellent worlcmen, trustworthy and well able to absorb the knowledge essential to their daily tasks. The majority ofj the half-castes are lazy and are prepared to live on the small dole given : to them by the Government. In some of the settlements in New South I Wales the blacks have ample land, but ! they make no attempt to' work' it, and once a week they go to the nearby town and collect their bread, grocer ries and meat. Th'e wisdom of giving the dole and so encouraging laziness has been questioned^ hut no Government has been courageous enough to stop the issue of these provisions. Anyway there are many Europeans quite content} to live on the dole, so it is not surprising that so many hlacks are content to follow in their . footsteps. j