the care of aborigines, but which was closed some time ago. It has now become a community settlement for a number of quadroons and octoroons, who, entirely without authority, have settled there. Some of them are on sustenance work, and some eke out an existence at timber cutting. One man, quite without authority, has fenced in 70 acres of land, and is running 35 cows. The condition of those people is deplorable, and the residents of the district have approached the State Government with a request for the supervision of the settlement. The residents have also offered to form a local committee to assist in the supervision of the camp. Some of the huts are built of bark, and the whole area is strewn with tins and empty beer bottles. The settlement is an undesirable development in a civilised community. As I was saying, as the result of experience of five generations of natives living in contact with white people under these conditions, the promise of half-castes to maintain themselves is not very hopeful. Of course, there are individual families who are able to, and who do take care of themselves. At Condah, three families of half-castes are conducting successful farms, and along the Murray River there are camps similar to the one at Framlingham. The men under control at Lake Tyers do excellent work, but on occasions, when they have gone away to such occupations as bean picking at Orbost, they have left their families at the station to be kept by the Government, and have earned good money, but invariably the majority return to the station absolutely penniless and, in some eases, the worse for drink, and often the worse for disease. It is then the job of the management to nurse them back to health.
GENERAL.
Professor CLELAND.—I should like some elucidation of Dr. Cook's statement, and I should like to know if he had in mind a race of pure-blood aborigines, or one of mixed half-castes. Did he mean that the pure-blood aborigines, if left entirely to their own resources in their own country, hunting, and living as they have done for ages, might be expected to increase beyond the present limits, if they were protected from coming into contact with white men? I cannot imagine the Musgrave Range aboriginal, left as they are, increasing beyond their present numbers. I think that the death rate would not decrease, but I foresee that, despite the measures taken, the tribalized natives would escape vigilance and become detribalized, so in that way their numbers would diminish. It would be much more economical to leave them in their present tribal conditions. We have a big enough problem to keep the detribalized natives without having to cope with an influx from the tribalized natives.
Dr. COOK.—Possibly the confusion in Professor Cleland's mind is due to the fact that I approached the half-caste problem first, and then discussed the full-blooded aborigines. We are faced with the problem of the half-castes multiplying. To overcome that, we are suggesting a policy of treating the half-caste as a white, so that the male can take his place in a white community, and the female can be accepted as the wife of a white man. That is the half-caste aspect of the problem. Under the policy of laissez faire, as suggested by Professor Cleland for the Musgrave Ranges aborigines, and as the Commonwealth authorities suggest for Arnheim Land, at the best, the rate of population increase at present existing will be maintained, but the number will not vary greatly, due to the habits and mode of living of the aborigines. These factors will keep the natives' numbers much the same as they have been for four or five centuries. If we meddle with them, bring them into reservations, attempt to eradicate their bad habits, and give them a white outlook, we shall be raising another colour problem. Are we going to do that or not?
Mr. BLEAKLEY.—I am satisfied that the problems of Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland are similar, but probably different altogether from those of New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia. I do not think that members of the Conference have exactly grasped what we have in prospect in Queensland. We have a full-blooded aboriginal population of about 10,000, of which, say, one-third, or, at the most, 4,000 are living a nomadic life. Very few of them have not come into contact with white people, the result being that, although they are living a nomadic life, and are maintaining tribal practices, many of which are harmful, they need supervision. It is essential, first of all, to realise that we have no right to attempt to destroy their national life. Like ourselves, they are entitled to retain their racial entity and racial pride. But it is evident that they cannot be left to work out their salvation without some benevolent supervision. It is also evident that the encroachment of white settlement is gradually destroying the natives' natural means of subsistence. While their native life should not be interfered with more than is necessary, it seems essential that they should be encouraged gradually to change from the nomadic life, particularly now that their means of subsistence is becoming precarious. They should learn to raise from the soil something of the means of subsistence, of which they are now being deprived. It is essential that they should be saved from being destroyed by contaminating influences, because, after all, I dare say, even in the wildest parts of the north-west, the primitive native is suffering from contact with the lower type of white people—miners, stockmen and others—who invade his territory. It seems essential that there should be men there exercising supervision, upon whom we can depend to see that the natives are protected, and who will so educate them that they will gradually abandon the destructive practices, which are responsible, it is claimed, for a great deal of the sterility of the race. It seems to me to be a case of either helping these people under protection and supervision gradually to change their lives, so that they can maintain themselves in happier circumstances, or allowing them to take their chance against the invading race. They have no chance whatever in competition with white races. In the first place, the native is voteless. Contact with white races has resulted in the birth of a number of half-breeds, a great number of whom have been fathered by a low type of white man. The result is that the half-breed, although he may not have the colour of the aboriginal, has his habits, and consequently cannot happily be absorbed into the white race. The half-breeds must be protected. The aboriginals' own leanings do not make him a very settled worker. Probably, the form of employment a native likes best of all is in the pastoral industry, because it is nearer to his own life than any other occupation that can be given to him. He is fond of horses, and makes a good rider. The natives' tracking ability and knowledge of the country, particularly their own country, make them valuable employees. We have found that even the semi-civilised need protection and control, otherwise they become a menace to the white race by reason of their low social conditions, and their susceptibility to disease and illnesses, which, in a white community, we are better able to control. In Queensland, as I have said, perhaps not more than 9,000 of these people are living on reserves and, of course, are under supervision. Perhaps another 4,000 or 5,000 are living in contact with whites in districts in various forms of employment. We have found it necessary, if we are to protect them, to keep them under constant supervision, because whilst a white employee is able to demand the statutory living wage, some employers consider it sufficient if they give an
