Administration And

Defence

Interesting Conference In Suva

THERE was an interesting conference in Suva at the end of May, when the Resident Commissioners from three territories, under the control of the High Commissioner for the Western Pacific (Sir Arthur Richards) met in Fiji to discuss with the High Commissioner matters of mutual interest.

The conference was attended by Mr.

F. N. Ashley (Resident Commissioner for the British Solomon Islands), Mr. J.

C. Barley (Resident Commissioner for the Gilbert & Ellice Islands Colony), and Mr. G. A. Joy (British Resident Commissioner for the Condominium of the New Hebrides).

No public announcement concerning the conference has been made. It was unofficially stated that the High Com missioner, the three Resident Commis sioners, and certain expert officials, dis cussed various matters relating to Pacific Islands administration and that their attention (so that a report might be made to London) was defence. It is apparent to anyone who looks at the map that those three outlying territories —the Solomons, the New Hebrides, and the Gilbert and Ellice Islands—are sin gularly vulnerable to any attack from the direction of Asia.

Mr. Ashley arrived in Sydney from Suva early in June and went on to the Solomons immediately thereafter in the “Malaita”.

Mr. Jov arrived in Sydney on June 14 by the “Mariposa”.

Mr. Barley, accompanied by Mrs.

Barley, arrived in Sydney on June 14, on long leave, which they propose to spend mostly in Europe. During the absence of Mr. Bariev from Ocean Island, the duties of Resident Commissioner are be ing carried out by Mr. R. H. Garvey, a young member of the British Colonial Service, who has risen rapidly to senior rank.