Australia To Form

Tropical Service Corps

The creation of a Commonwealth Administrative Corps for service in Australia’s tropical territories is a proposition now receiving the serious consideration of the Federal Government.

A GUARDED statement in some of the Australian newspapers on April 30 gave an indication of a far-reaching re-organisation of that section of the Commonwealth Public Service which is primarily concerned with the administration of Federal Territories.

It may be pointed out that the Com monwealth Government is directly re sponsible for the administration of the following tropical and sub-tropical Territories, which are governed under a system which permits of little of ho representation by the taxpayers con cerned and which, therefore, calls for a superior class of public servant: The Mandated Territory of New Guinea (for the good government of which the Common wealth is responsible to the League of Nations).

The Territory of Papua.

The Territory of Nauru (which is practically administered by Australia under a mandate from the League of Nations, held jointly by Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand.

The Territory of Norfolk Island.

The Territory of Northern Australia.

The Territory of Central Australia.

The services which administer the several Territories are all more or less in watertight compartments. Their only point of contact is in the Federal Departments at Canberra, to which they are all responsible. Even here, however, there is separation, for the Territories of North and Central Aus tralia are responsible to the newly created Department of the Interior, while the other Territories are con trolled by a branch of the Prime Minis ter’s Department. No one is to blame for this condition of affairs—it is due to the fact that these various terri tories have been added to the Common wealth administration bit by bit, and at different periods.

Not only from the point of view of economy, however, is it now considered necessary that they should be brought closer together—it is also desirable be cause they are all undergoing steady development, at a rate which probably will increase very much in the early future; and, as they all necessarily look to the Commonwealth Government for the main-spring of action, it is de sirable that the Commonwealth Gov ernment should have a definite policy of development concerning the Terri tories as a whole.

It is not proposed to amalgamate the administrations. In view of the varying circumstances under which the Com monwealth holds responsibility for the different Territories, amalgamation is quite impracticable. But, so far as ad ministrative personnel and the general machinery of administration is con cerned, there is no doubt at all that the creation of one large body of specially selected and trained men to carry on the administrative services generally would make for greater efficiency, and very much greater economy; and would provide oppor tunities of the kind which would at tract men of outstanding ability to the service. Costly duplication can be cut

out, the status of the service can be raised, and Australia can do her job of controlling- important tropical Terri tories in a creditable manner.

The plan has wide possibilities. It is hinted, for instance, that it may solve the problem of finding successors to both Sir Hubert Murray, Lieut.- Governor of Papua, and Brig.-Gen.

Wisdom, Administrator of New Guinea.

Although one Territory is held under mandate and the other is not, the fact is emphasised that they are adjoining Territories with the same general problems of Administration, and there is no insuperable difficulty to one able man supervising both Administrations.

There is a further and an even bigger consideration. From every point of view—commercial, political, strategical, industrial —it is desirable that Aus tralia, destined to be the dominant power of the South Pacific, should con trol the Island groups to the north east, which cover the mainland like a screen. Australia already holds Papua, North-East New Guinea, New Britain, New Ireland and the Northern Solomons. She does the lion’s share of the trade in the British Solomons, and she has large and important in terests in the New Hebrides. Sooner or later, she will be called upon to say whether or not she is prepared to accept administrative responsibility in the Solomon Islands and the New Hebrides, and, when that times comes, her hands will be greatly strengthened it she can show that she has already in existence a corps of officers trained and experienced in the administration of Pacific Territories.

We understand that the Federal Government is dealing quite seriously with this matter of the creation of a tropical administrative corps. The moving spirit, of course, is Major C.

W. C. Marr, Minister in Charge of Island Affairs, whose personal know ledge of administration generally and the Islands Territories in particular fit him admirably for the inauguration of a new policy. We believe that we can see already the new viewpoint in the recent appointment of Captain Pinney, as Administrator of Norfolk Island.

Captain Pinney goes from an important position in Papua, where he has re ceived admirable training and experi ence, to the chief position in another Territory. That is as it should be, and the appointment is deservedly ap plauded.

The people most concerned in this new policy, unfortunately, are people who have no opportunity of expressing their views—that is, members of the public services concerned. The Pacific Islands Monthly will be very glad to receive from any officials in the tropical services statements setting forth their opinions. These, if desired, will be kept quite confidential, but their points of view will be very helpful in guiding this journal in its task of giving ser vice to the Pacific Territories.