Australian Ministers

Quick Trip To N. Guinea

TITHE Australian Minister for External 1 Affairs, Rt. Hon. W. M. Hughes, who also is Minister in Charge of the Pacific Territories, left Sydney by the first official air-mail on May 30, visited Papua and New Guinea, made close in quiries into the vexed question of a fu ture site for the capital of New Guinea, received many deputations and much hospitality in Rabaul, Lae, Salamaua, Wau, Madang, and Port Moresby, and ar rived back in Sydney by the air-mail on June 12. He said that he had travellea 6,000 miles and transacted a large amount of departmental business within the space of ten days—testimony to the value of aerial transport.

The Minister, on his return, spoke in glowing terms of the rich resources of the Territory of New Guinea, and espe cially of those great interior plateaus, with their fertile valleys and temperate climate, which were discovered only dur ing the past five years. Mr. Hughes, in no uncertain terms, indicated his belief that Australia must vigorously develop those valuable tropical territories, if she expects to successfully support her claim in the future to their continued occu pation.