That Quarter

Million Limit

Reviewed at Canberra Much Delay But No Embargo

Canberra, July 14.

NOT much further progress has been made by the Canberra authorities concerning that section of the Transfer of Land Control Ordinance (N.G.) which provides that no person or firm may have an interest in land in New Guinea, “which land is in the opinion of the Administrator, of a value of more than £250,000.”

The position is that the trading firms operating in New Guinea, which give financial assistance to the landowners there, have made monetary advances on properties which altogether represent a value in excess of £250,000. The firms concerned have asked that either the Ordinance be reviewed so that the amount can be altered: or that the system be altered so that the amount of their advance, rather than the value of the property on which the advance is made, shall limit their total interest. At present, if the advance is only £100 and the Administrator’s estimate of the value of the property is £10,000, the £10,000 and not the £100 is the figure taken into calculation in connection with the £250,000 limit.

If neither of these alternatives can be accepted, the firms point out, transactions in excess of the £250,000 limit must be referred by the Administrator in New Guinea to the Minister in Canberra, and must receive his personal sanction. This entails considerable delay, just at a time when many plantation-owners urgently need assistance; and the firms ask that at least some method be devised of speeding up the process under which the applications are submitted to the Minister for his approval.

The officials of the Prime Minister’s Department have considered the firms’ representations very sympathetically; but they point out that it is extremely difficult to alter the system without altering the underlying principles of the Ordinance. They say it is essential that transactions in excess

of the £250,000 limit be controlled by the Minister; and they point out, although there may have been some delay, no application has been vetoed by the Minister. In other words, the financial assistance sought by plantation owners from the big trading firms has been approved in every case. There has been no Ministerial embargo.

Every case, however, has to be dealt with on its merits.

It was explained further that the Ordinance has been referred to the Crown Law authorities; but the latter have been extremely busy on legislation arising out of the Australian Premiers’ Agreement, and nothing has been done yet with the New Guinea matter.