Aborigines Department

1901. WESTERN AUSTRALIA. ABORIGINES DEPARTMENT. REPORTFOE FINANCIAL YEAR ENDING 30TH JUNE, 1901. Presented to both Houses of Parliament by His Excellency's Command. PERTH: BY AUTHORITY WM. ALFRED WATSON, GOVERNMENT PRINTER. 1901. No. 26. Digitised by AIATSIS Library 2008-www.aiatsis.gov.au/library ABORIGINES DEPARTMENT. Report for Financial Year ending 30th June, 1901. To THE HON. THE PBEMIEB. SIB, I beg to submit my Report on the working of the Aborigines Department for the year ending 80th June, 1901. The general condition of the aborigines throughout the State has not been much altered since my last Report, but a great deal more information as to the details of their employment has bt'en rained from the reports of the Travelling Inspector, who has now completed his tour of investigation in the Northern half of the State, and has already commenced his tour of the Southern half by starting again from Geraldton and going Eastward, through Talgoo and Mt. Magnet, towards Lawlers and Lake Way, from whence he will work down in a very zig-zag line towards Israelite Bay, and then Westwards to Perth. This trip will probably occupy him twelve months, or even more, and by that time we shall have a reliable official account of almost every station in the State on which natives are employed, or even congregate, which will not be required again for some time, and will be a most useful basis on which the general distribution of relief, etc., can be granted in detail. His reports will be found in the Appendix, together with a plan showing his route and the places at which he stopped. I think anyone reading these reports will come to the conclusion that the settlements, as a rule, do not treat their employees harshly, and that the natives themselves have rarely little reason to complain. The way in which Mr. Olivey has done his work has been most satisfactory, and the Department are happy in having secured the services of such a good bushman, a man of such independent character, and, perhaps, not least, of such knowledge of medicine and surgery, which is one of the principal advantages expected from his trip. The work of the Department, as is usual, consisted of the direction of relief to the distributors, the inspection and payment of their monthly accounts, the distribution of blankets, clothing, and drugs, the supervision of their legal commitments and convictions, and the rescue and care of the waifs, and numberless other small matters which continually require attention. The births and deaths reported seem about to balance one another, but are, probably, so incomplete that it is hardly worth while to tabulate them. I think, however, that the aboriginal population in all that part of the State which is as yet explored and settled in any way by the whites must remain about the same as that which I gave on the 30th June, 1899, viz., about 12,000. At that time there was a wide range of opinions as to the number in the unexplored interior, and in the Northern part of the Kimberley division. I have arranged to obtain a report on the natives of the latter area of country from the exploration party which is now there, and I hope that they will be able to give us some approximate estimate for future guidance. I am able now to give more detailed information, as promised last year, regarding the number and condition of the half-castes, which is a subject on which legislation seems to me very necessary, and which, I trust, will meet with the attention of the Legislature very soon. The Travelling Inspector's reports have furnished me with the following particulars, namely:—That in his travels he came across about 170 of various ages, 120 of whom were yet children under 14. I gather from him that where there are no evil influences, these half-castes can be made into good useful workmen and women. Many of them are reported to be quite equal to white men in the work tbey do—driving teams, blacksmiths' work, etc But, unfortunately, they are more often found in communities whose influence is towards laziness and vice; and I think it is our duty not to allow these children, whose blood is half British, to grow up as vagrants and outcasts, as their mothers now are. Digitised by AIATSIS Library 2008-www.aiatsis.gov.au/library 4 The law, however, does not empower me to take possession of them, or interfere with them so lone as they do not transgress it; they cannot be brought in as vagrants, because the natural custom of their race is one of vagrancy, and though in one or two instances magistrates have committed a native for imprisonment as a vagrant owing to his hovering about and disturbing the workers, and sponging upon their food, it is only because there seems no other way to abate the nuisance that I have allowed such conviction to pass without remark. I am glad, however, hereto state that there are a few fathers of half- caste children doing their duty, and contributing to the support of these unfortunates; most notably amongst these is a Chinaman. I am very glad, by the publication of the said reports, to vindicate the general character of the settlers in this State as to their treatment of their black employees. Very much has been written, and more said, about the ill-treatment of natives in the Northern part of this State. In such an immense area it is impossible, of course, to supervise the daily actions of isolated men, and there may be instances of petty tyrannies, but, where news travels so fast as it does in the bush, and where I have so many assisting eyes and ears always ready to report these cases, there are few that sooner or later do not come before me or before the magistrates. The natives themselves are now getting wise enough to know that they have a protecting power to whom they can appeal, and that the police are not merely a terror, but are there for their protection. There are many intelligent young black men who live on the stations almost in the same way as their fellow white workers, whose sympathies must be with their own race, and who would very soon inform of any cruelty, even as mere gossip; and therefore I think all those who are interested in the question, after reading these reports, should modify any of the bad impressions which they have had hitherto. There are also, here and there, coming into existence small societies for the welfare and protection of the native race. At Kalgoorlie, at Esperance, and in Perth itself, these have been formed, and I think they all know that they will have the sympathy and assistance of the Department in their work. Relief to the destitute, aged, and crippled has been administered at 121 centres, the particulars of which will be found in Table A. This, it will be seen, has cost £6,269 5s. 3d., the largest item in my expenditure. By the sample Account form, which I again attach, it will be seen that every effort is made to ensure corroboration that the relief has been properly and reasonably given, and that the Department does not lay itself open to the charge of wasting public funds to enrich private persons. It is an easy accusation, and in past times might have been partially true, but each year I am able to make stricter investigations, and even now I think it would be hard for anyone to find a case in which money was paid for services not properly performed. The knowledge that relief is given liberally in the Southern districts is inducing the residents in East Kimberley to forward recommendation for distribution in that district. Hitherto I have felt that where game is so plentiful, and the tribes of natives so numerous, the aged and crippled have plenty of resources with the produce of the bush and their many relatives, and that the very extensive issue of rations in that far quarter should be avoided as much as possible ; but now at Turkey Creek and else where indigent natives are beginning to collect, and their claims must be considered. This is an increase in our expenditure which, however, must be expected as years go on. The natives about Lake Way are also getting more civilised, and hanging round the mining settlements, and, of course, getting improvident and helpless; some relief has been found necessary. On the new goldfield at Phillips River, too, similar claims are reported, but here the tribes are very small and scattered. The list of the relieving stations, therefore, is now being increased by those in the districts of East Kimberley, Lake Way, and Ravens- thorpe (Phillips River G-oldfield). With reference to Crime: All convictions being reported to the Crown Law Department are forwarded to me for perusal. During the past twelve months there have been 120 of these. The largest number are for killing cattle in the Kimberley district. Now, this district is hardly reclaimed from its original savage state, but parts of it are over-run with the herds of pioneer settlers, which are particularly open to the raids of the wild natives. Some might say that these natives are justified in feeding them selves from these herds, which have driven their own native game from the face of the land; but the law makes it crime, and the settlers, in their endeavour to preserve their property, look to the Government for its protection, paying, as they do, for the occupation of the land.

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