General Wisdom
Report That He May Retire Difficult Post to Fill
THE Administrator of the Mandated Territory of New Guinea, Brig.- General A. E. Wisdom, arrived in Syd ney last week, by the Macdhui, from Rabaul. His Excellency has come south on an unhappy duty—that of bringing Mrs. Wisdom to a colder climate. Mrs.
Wisdom has been exceedingly ill and has undergone an operation which left her permanently incapacitated. It has been a most unfortunate development —it is only six months since Mrs.
Wisdom returned to the Territory—and the sympathy of the whole New Guinea
community has gone out spontane ously and sincerely to the kindly, hardworking Administrator and his loyal helpmate.
It is reported—although there has been no official announcement what ever—that General Wisdom does not wish to return to New Guinea; but that instead he contemplates retiring and accompanying Mrs. Wisdom to Eng land, whither she is anxious to go. The Federal Government’s attitude is un known. Obviously, it will not want to lose the services of this experienced Administrator at so awkward a time.
Well-informed people have been dis cussing the difficult problem of finding a successor to General Wisdom, should that become necessary. It appears that there is no one in sight with any great claim to the position. The general opinion is that, if the position has to be filled, Australia could not do better than transfer the experienced and successful Administrator of Papua, Sir Hubert Murray, from Port Moresby to Rabaul. The conditions of the two Territories are similar, except that Papua is a part of Australia, while New Guinea is administered by Australia, under a Mandate from the League of Nations. It is said that it would not be so difficult to replace Sir Hubert Mur ray as it would to find a successor for General Wisdom.
An objection is that Sir Hubert Mur ray is well over 60. But he is in no
sense an old man. He is, in fact, very active and young-looking; of wide vision, keen intelligence, and valuable experience in Islands administration; and it is argued that, if a change has to be made in the direction of New Guinea affairs at this critical time, the Government should play safe and put Sir Hubert Murray in charge there, for a few years. A wrong appointment would jeopardise much of the good work done, often under difficult and discouraging conditions, by General Wisdom during his 10 years of office.