New Hebrides
pp. 73-74 · Read in the full issue
Premature Reports of Plan To Introduce Australia
present appearances, the Condomi nium Government of the New Hebrides will have English (as distinct from Australian) officials for a long time yet.
When the Australian Ministers went to the Imperial Conference, they carried with them certain data relating to the Solomons and New Hebrides. Australian control of those territories was held to be desirable for defence reasons. Further more, Australian rather than English trading conditions and currency are com mon in both groups. In the case of the New Hebrides, both Burns, Philp and Co.
Ltd. and the Presbyterian Mission have presented to the Commonwealth Govern ment a strong case that Australia, rather than Britain, should share the admini stration with France.
The matter came up at the Imperial Conference and the British Colonial and Foreign Offices apparently offered no ob jection to the New Hebrides plan. Im mediately, there were excited and. exag gerated reports in the Australian news papers. One irresponsible Sydney news paper said that Australia was going to take over all the Western Pacific terri tories, including Fiji. Others began to select an Australian staff for Port Vila.
Actually, there has been nothing more
than a talk in London. It does not appear that France, even yet, has been con sulted. The Australian Ministers since the’r return, have said not one word about the New Hebrides.
All the reports, up to date, seem to have been the outcome of contacts in London between babbling politicians and irresponsible reporters. Before any change occurs, a number of things must happen. First, the Australian Government must survive the general election in October: then Australia must reach an agreement with England; next, England must negotiate with France, and obtain French approval of the proposal.
The interests of France are much greater than those of the British in the New Hebrides; and, while it is unlikely that France has any objection to Aus tralia replacing England in the Condomi nium, it is possible that the French Colonial Office will take a view of the matter that has not been foreseen.
It is clear, now. that the whole position has been vitiated by premature reports and irresponsible newspapers.
Mr. E. J. Harman has resigned on account of ill-health from the directorate of Mandated Alluvials N.L., and Dominion Gold Ltd., Papua. Mr. L.
Wright has been elected to the board of Mandated Alluvials.
Mr. G. B. Lincoln, a Melbourne con sulting electrical engineer, returned to
Victoria by the September Mariposa
after reporting on the Suva electricity undertaking for the Town Board.
Mr. J. B. Gordon, a mining engineer, left Sydney for Samarai, en route to Misima Island, Eastern Papua, by the August Macdhui.
Sub-Inspector C. W. Tucker, of the Fiji Constabulary, returned to Suva from leave spent in Australia and New Zealand, by the Aorangi in August.