The War Of The “Capital Site”
pp. 30-31 · Read in the full issue
Interesting Features of Griffiths Committee's Report on New Guinea Inquiry
RESIDENTS of New Guinea probably will be interested in the sequence of events—some of them of a strange character—which led to the selection of Salamaua as the new administrative headquarters of the Territory;— May 29, 1937. —Eruption of volcanoes compels complete evacuation of Rabaul.
June. 1937. —Large numbers of women and children from Rabaul are sent to Australia. Sharp exchanges between Ad ministrator and European civil popula tion, owing to former insisting that Ra baul was safe and suitable for re-occu pation.
July, 1937. —Commonwealth Govern ment announced that it would obtain, first, a report by expert vulcanologists as to whether Rabaul was safe and oc cupiable: and, if it were not, an expert committee would then be appointed to make an investigation and recommend a suitable site for a new “capital” in New
Guinea. Dr. C. E. Stehn (expert on volcanoes, from the Dutch East Indies), and Dr. W. G. Woolnough (Common wealth geologist), sailed from Brisbane for Rabaul on July 16.
August, 1937. —At a meeting of the Legislative Council, in Rabaul, certain leading officials informally brought up the question of a new capital site, dis cussed Salamaua, produced a large map of Salamaua, and invfted members to consider the claims of Salamaua as a suitable headquarters for the Adminis tration.
November, 1937. —Experts advise Com monwealth Government in emphatic terms, that volcanic activity may recur at any time at Rabaul, and recommend the early removal of the administrative centre to another site. Administrator called urgently to a conference in Can berra.
January, 1938. —After inexplicable de lay, it was unofficially announced that the “expert” committee to select the new site would not comprise experts at all.
Strong protests were made to the Prime Minister about the delay, and the failure to appoint the promised committee of ex perts. Finally, at the end of January, the appointment of Messrs. Griffiths (former Administrator) Thomas (finan cial adviser) and Thornton (engineer) was announced, and generally approved.
February 12 to April 21, 1938. —Griffiths committee visits New Guinea, care fully examines every suggested site, stud ies the probable requirements of the Territory in maintaining the present in dustries and developing new ones; and submits report to Commonwealth Gov ernment on April 27.
May, 1938. —Canberra “sits tight” on report until late in May. Meanwhile, the report and recommendation of the committee (the tableland at the back of Lae) were communicated to the Admin istrator at Rabaul; and it is evident that the latter made certain urgent represen tations to Canberra. On May 30, the new Minister for the Territories (who had never been in New Guinea before) left by aeroplane for Rabaul.
June 1-June 10, 1938.—Mr. Hughes and the Administrator fly hither and thither about the Territory, glimpsing a few suggested sites from the air. Mr, Hughes returns to Sydney on June 12; and, late in the month, Canberra announces that on Mr. Hughes’s recommendation, Sala maua has been selected as the “new capital site”. The expert committee’s re port is thrown aside. No men experien ced in tropical administration, or tropi cal hygiene, or civil engineering, appear to have been consulted. A very brief re port is made to Parliament, and the necessary enabling legislation is rushed through by Mr. Hughes in the last few hours of the session.
July, 1938. —The Administrator, accom panied by two or three officials of the Public Works and Lands Departments, proceeds forthwith to Salamaua “to lay out the new capital”. It is now reported from several sources that at least £250,- 000 will be needed to reclaim the malar ial swamps, before the building of the new town can be attempted; and no pro vision has been made in Mr. Hughes’s impulsive plan for any such expenditure.
Canberra is faced with the following al ternatives; (a) find another quarter mil lion or so for the establishment of the capital at Salamaua; or (b) seek a site other than Salamaua or Lae; or (c) re turn to the plan of the Griffiths com mittee; or (d) leave the capital at Ra baul, thus saving the Territory at least £500,000 of expenditure, and ignore the report of the vulcanologists, and the ap parent danger of another eruption.