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Further Chronicles of Carrolup.
A.bout two-and-a-half years ago
the then superintendent of the
Native Settlement was adjudged
over zealous in his care of one of
the; young gins who was given to'
skipping by the light of the moon,
inasmuch as he chained her to
her bunk by the neck, and for this
exceeding good care he was fired.
Mr, J. Bi Blake was -then given
the appointment at the salary of
the average navyy, and though
the living costs have jumped right
up and the work has trebled, he
has been unable to move the
Chief Protector, or the Minister
controlling the Department, to
advance an extra bou, the result
being that Mr. Blake has politely,
" chucked it." We have not per
sonally had the pleasure of a look
over the camp to note its work
ings, but the following copy of the
gentleman's resignation, as for
warded to the Chief Protector, is
.highly interesting as showing
what some of these brass hats
expect a man to do in the way of
minding niggers on a niggardly
. pittance of four quid a week
"On the 20th October, 1919, T
requested that my position as su-.
perintendent of this settlement
might be classified under the Pub
lic Service Act, but this was re-,
fused by the Chief Protector, in a
memo dated lth November, 1919.
On the Minister's visit here in
April last 1 spoke to him as to an
increase in salary, He appeared
favorably disposed, yet when the
estimates were framed no such in
crease was provided for. I then
put in. a notice of appeal to the
Civil Service Appeal Board on
the 1st October last ; but nothing
h is since been heard of it, and it
appears that: the matter was in
tended to be , shelved until after
i he long vacation. I spoke to you
when discussing another matter
on the telephone, and was sur
prised, to learn that the Minister
had absolutely refused to sanction
any increase. I have now been
the superintendent of this settle
ment for upwards of two and a
half years, and during that period
the work has trebled, yet I am to
receive no more salary than when
I came here, viz., the handsome
sum of £4 per week. What am I
expected to do for this
1/ Manage and layout a station,
of 11,000 acres.
2. Act as architect, quantity
surveyor, foreman of works and
timekeeper for such bricklayers
and carpenters as are engaged in
putting up the numerous build
ings I have been instructed to
erect. Arrange, provide, and con
trol the quarrying of stone, and
the haulage of same and' all other
material.
> 3. Control all natives capable
of working who may be on the
settlement and see that they
work— these at some periods have
J in Qn AM J »Ttn A nm/i
arnouuiwu tu o\J auu upwaiuo, a-u u
at others gets as low as two (ypt
the settlement has to be carried
On), audit and certify their time
and pay sheets and pay them
monthly.
4. Manage a store for all natives
and staff on the settlement (aver
aging 140 souls). Make out
monthly stock returns, showing
free issues to natives and staff,
and sales,"! etc. Also keep ledger
accounts for every native family,
showing every item issued to or
purchased by it, and similarly in
i regard to the staff.
5. Purchase all killing sheep,
and control the meat supplies and
the baking of bread for working
men and upwards of 60 children j
confined, to the compound, and
generally act "as headmaster of a
boarding school for 60 children.
6. Make birweekly issues of
stores to all camp natives and-
periodical issues of clothing.
7. Generally act as a discipli
narian over all, inmates of whom
some 25 are confined here under
section 12 of the Act, exercising
the powers of imprisonment and
other punishment given by the
Act, as and when necessary.
8. Manage a clothing factory,
accounting for all material sup-
were made in the first seven
months of the last financial year),
Pack and dispatch to Government
Stores all garments, :
9. Institute all .prosecutions
necessary and act as prosecutor.
10. Control erection of bridges,
road making, fencing, clearing,
poison grubbing, and all kinds of
farm and station work.
11. Make monthly leturns of
stock and clothing manufactured
and material used ; 'also return of
inmates, monthly reports of all
operations during the month, and
of what is proposed to be done in
the: succeeding month.
12 Keep'!a register. Of all in
mates, showing the date of their
arrival and departure, their age,
and whether full blood" or half
caste, aud forward periodical
copies of such register to Perth,
13 Give orders for all stores
(flour, etc., purchased .. locally),
also timber, iron work, vetc.;- and
check and sign all No. 11): vouchers
in respect of same and requistion
on Perth for all groceries »nd
other articles as and when requir
ed, and keep up a somewhat vol
uminous correspondence with
head office.
14. Live among these natives
a large percentage of whom are
suffering from tuberculosis many
in an active and virulent state,
while most of the others are afflic
ted with scabies, not to mention
other filthy complaints.
15. Act as undertaker in the
case of all natives dying on the
settlement, burying them in the
settlement cemetery. -
In ;. addition to the. aforemen
tioned princely salary of £4 per
week it has been suggested that
my quarters and rations are sup
plied, The quarters consist of a1
4-roomed weathe r-board and iron
cottage, and the rations as allow
ed and drawn by me do not reach
20s per week for myself and fam
ily. Yet the Department pay the
cook at the Moola Bulla station
£250 per annum, with quarters
,and rations, and the carpenter
working on this settlement £6 15s
per week for a mine, hours' day.
The schoolmistress, a girl of 21,
who works four hours a day on
five days only of the . week, and
who gets nine weeks' holiday per
year, £110 a year, quarters and
rations; though I, as the. superin-
endent, who am on duty for the1
whole 24 hours of seven days per
week, rarely put in less -.than 14
hours work per day, and take the
whole of the responsibility of this
establishment am; according to
the ideas of your Minister, so suf
ficiently well paid that he refuses
me ah increase. My only assist
ant in the above numerous duties
being a man classified as a farm
assistant at a salary of £146 per
year, quarters and rations. I
theref.-re tender you- my resigna-.
tion, and as I have three weeks'
holiday on pay approved by -the.
Minister, of which I have in a
previous memo informed you, I
propose taxing as irom cne ist
January, 1921, 1 suggest that my
term as superintendent, shall
terminate on the day of the ex
piration of such holiday.
That I have more than done my
duty by the Department during
the period of my management
here, the settlement showing what
has beer accomplished with
native labor, is standing evidence
for all to see.
I am keeping a copy of this
which I purpose publishing, since
it will no doubt be educational of
the way the Government; or per
haps I should say, .the Aborigines
Department, pay those- members
of their staff who are m- respon
sible positions, and' who do not
happen to be members of- a trades
union. ;
Local Picture Film — Our old
friend Mr Hamilton Brown is ap
parently getting along in the pic
ture world, as may be judged by
the following, noted from the
"West" : The local production of
a moving picture, with local chai-
acters, color scenario, writer
and photographer, is a novelty
which in itself should attract
widespread interest. The film to
b9 shown for one'week, commenc
ing on Saturday next, at the Pal
ladium Theatre as a contribution
of the Ugly Men's Association to
the Children's Hospital Building
Fund Appeal, will have the uni
que attraction of being wholly a
Western Australian production,
produced by Mr Hamilton Brown
directed and photograhed by Mr
Fred E. Murphy, the story and
scenario the work of Messrs Ches
ter Bond, Fred E. Murphy and
Hamilton Brown. The film is
showing for on week, and is cal
culated to add materially to the
funds of that deserving institu
tion Children's Hospital.
$