Plight of |
Australia’s ©
Aborigines

No people anywhere in world
more in need of assistance’

a WEST Australian parlia-

mentary select committee
report has revealed the cruel
plight of the Aborigines, the
first Australians,

Indirectly it also exposes
the policy of Prime Minister
Robert Menzies’ Liberal-
Country coalition government,
which has turned the Abor-
igines’ hunting grounds into
ranges for testing guided mis-
siles and atom bombs, and is
reported to be granting a sec-
ret air base to the U.S.

From the report emerges a
shocking picture of Aborig-
ines existing — or rather dy-
ing — in conditions of near
starvation, desperate for water
and huddling naked in bitter
cold, wracked with diseases for
which they have no remedies.

While the natives are con-
demned to these conditions,
huge areas of the best land
are being taken from their re-
serves and turned over to min-
ing interests or appropriated
for atomic testing grounds.

The reports gives an idea
of how grim is the Aborigines’
battle to survive.

It says:

“It is difficult to conceive
fully the implications of the
natives’ constant struggle to
obtain water for drinking.

“The natives usually move
about the area in family
groups since the country and
water available will not sup-
port large numbers.

The natives struggle in
such groups from waterhole
to waterhole, which are fre-
quently 20 miles or more
apart.

“The natives must carry thé
younger children while the
older ones are required to
walk, in some cases carrying
a younger child.

“They carry all their pos-
sessions ...

“In addition, they must of-
ten obtain sufficient food for
themselves and their children
en route.

‘Since the country is either

mulga scrub, sand dunes or
Spinifex, and the weather,
particularly in summer, ex-
‘remely hot (120 degrees in
the shade not being uncom-
mon), the suffering and hard-
ships entailed will be readily
imagined. ,

“The desparate struggle for
water is paralleled by the
battle to obtain any form of
meat. What few kangaroos

can be found and speared are
prized, For other meats, they
use dingoes, cats, goanas, rab-
bits, lizards and wood grubs.
But the supply even of these
is hazardous, and seeds, roots
and fruit of wild plants and
trees are the principal food.

“The natives share what
food is obtained.

Illustrating the sufferings
of the Aborigines in the cold

Sizing up t

HE 1957 cars are bigger,
T more stable, smoother rid-
ing, more comfortable, more
powerful, and noticeably cost-
lier to buy and operate.

List~ prices of the lowest-
cost four-door sixes run $80 to
$180 more than in 1956, and
more than $250 to $290 than
in 1955. This is inflation with
a2 vengeance.

This year’s boosts appear to
be particularly heavy on the
sixes, as though the manufac-
turers are determined to Wipe
out this last possible place
to keep down the cost of a
car. Thus for the moderate in-
come families, the latest in-
crease is bigger than the “av-
erage price boost of 2.9 per-
cent,” ete., publicized by the
manufacturers.

The increase has been sof-
tened somewhat by the fact
that some formerly optional
items are now standard equip-
ment. But to grasp the true
extent of the price rises, note
that the jump of 15 percent
on the lowest-price cars since
1955 compares with an av-
erage increase of 2.4 percent
in the general cost of living.

To go back further and in-
clude all cars from just be:
fore the war to 1956, cars have
gone up to 216 percent com-
pared with a general boost
in all retail prices of 192 per-
cent,

Only Nash and Hudson re-
duced prices of the medium-
price models this year, but at
the same time raised the grow-
ingly popular Rambler 5 per-
cent.

True costs of cars have been
raised even more than the
jump in list prices. Finance

charges in general have mov-
ed up from 11%-12 per cent
per annum to 138-14 percent.
Nor are dealers giving as
large discounts as in 1955
when the factories were load-
ing cars on them.

The result of the price-
boosting is what you might
expect: Car production is re-
ported to be running 25 per.
cent behind 1955.

*

Otherwise there is improve-
ment in most 1957 models,
chiefly in stability and road-
hugging. characteristics,
smoother ride and better driv-
er visibility.. These benefits
have been achieved mainly
by improved springing, the
new 14-inch tires, the wider,
lower stance, and increased
glass areas.

The greater size and horse-
power of the 1957 cars may not
be necessarily advantageous
to family and city drivers. In
the past 10 years cars have
ballooned froma typical 56-
inch width to 71-78 for even
top-price models.

The new 14-inch tire help-
ed manufacturers lower cars
a little. Since the 14-inch tires
are wider and require two
pounds less air pressure, they
also provide a softer ride. But
motorists should know that
they also reduce braking
power. They are heavier, and
the heavier the wheels, the
harder to stop the car. Stude-
baker and Rambler still have
15-inch tires.

Plymouth and Ford are
most drastically changed. They
cut the usual three-year cycle
for a major changeover two

—winter nights in West Aus-
tralia are so cold that frosts
and ice on the water in the
mornings are not uncommon
—the report cites this case:

One night a party of whites
and a group of natives were
camped near each other.

The whites were sleeping
with all thir clothes ‘on, plus
half-inch thick kapok flying
suits and with several blan-

e 195

years to bring out their re-
vamped 1957 models.

Chevrolet, however, has
stayed with the three-year
cycle, apparently feeling iti
could since the ’55 and ’56
Chevrolets well outsold their
competitors.

Ford now offers the highest
horsepower, highest compres-
sion six, and Plymouth the
highest-horsepower standard
eight. But this doesn’t neces-
sarily mean Ford and Ply-

-mouth will outrun the short-

siroke Chevvy engine, which
demonstrated smooth; high-
powered performance over two
years, and doesn’t have to lug
quite as much body. All three
now are _ fast-accelerating,
powerful cars.

Horsepower devotees, which
group generally does not in-
clude moderate income fam-
ilies can now have as much as
283 horsepower in some of
the V8 engines with optional
features such as fuel injection.
Aciually, most drivers do not

need horsepower in the 200-°

250 class. Only possible advan-
tage is in safer passing, but
the high horsepower also may
lead drivers to take undesir-
able passing risks,

Otherwise, you don’t begin
to use 200 horsepower fully
until you get up to around
100 m.p.h. Of course, heavier
cars, and those with automa-
tic transmissions, or power de-
vices such as_ steering and
brakes, need a lot of horse-
power simply to operate this
extra equipment.

*

Besides increased power,

this department’s test consult-
FEBRUARY 15, 1957 —

kets over all this. But in the
early hours they were still too
cold to sleep.

The natives nearby were
naked , huddling over their

fires.
&

The report concluded with
these words:

“The people of this state can
no longer evade responsibility
for the natives as a whole in
this area . . . Members of the
committee find it hard to vis-
ualize that any people, any-
where in the world, could be
more in need of such assis-
tance.”

The committee makes a

number of proposals to assist .

the Aborigines’ welfare.
Among them are these:
+ Establishment of a pastoral
industry and fruit and vege-
table growing — under control
of a practical person but oth-
erwise using only native labor
—on a scale sufficient to meet
the basic food and employ-
ment needs of Aborigines.
+ Development of water re-
sources (including sinking of
wells) to provide adequate
drinking water for the Abor-
igines and to make it possible
for game to survive and multi-

‘ply. :
+ Regulaf medical and dental.

surveys; medical attention to
Aborigines on the reserve for
ailments beyond the scope of
mission medical. facilities.

7 cars

ant reports the new Plymouth
has a high degree of stability
with no tendency to lean on
curves under normal condi-
tions, and good brakes with no
tendency to dip on sudden
stops. It has a low centre of
gravity, wide stance, and re-
duced wind resistance. It also
now is the widest and long-
est car, in wheelbase as well
as overall length, of the so-
called popular-price models.

Ford, too, is wider and low-
er, with a low centre of grav-
ity, less wind resistance and
improved stability, smoothness
and visibility, and absence of
sway.

Chevrolet’s relative com-
pactness is an asset of its own
kind.

Rambler, while no longer a
truly small car, is still more
compact, and relatively easier
to park and handle in traffic.
It has surprisingly high pow-
er.

Studebaker is still compar-
atively moderate in power,
but also still comparatively
economical on gas.

Automatic transmissions
have also been improved.
Most notable new feature is
Chevrolet’s “hill retarder”
which enables the fluid drive
to slow the car on down-
slopes, and thus save the
brakes. : :

Despite the price boost, a
six-cylinder car with stand-
ard transmission still seems
best value for an economy
minded family that keeps a
car several years. |
® Compiled by Sidney Mar-

golius and reprinted from

the Bakers’ and Confec-
tioners’ Journal.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE--PAGE 12