Under Consideration

Central Pacific Changes

Solomons and Condominium Interests to Australia, and Western Samoa to Colonial Office

If various attendant problems prove capable of solution, the British Colonial Office may hand the Solomon Islands, and Brit ish interests in the New Hebrides, over to Australia; and may take over the Administration of Western Samoa from New Zealand.

In ordinary circumstances, these plans might need years of dis cussion. But, under the drive of military necessity, there may be decisions at an early date.

WHILE nothing has been said publicly, and no public announcement is likely, it is known that the future control and administration of the Solo mon Islands, the New Hebrides and West ern Samoa have received the considera tion of the Pacific Defence Conference, which opened in Wellington, N.Z., on April 14.

The administration of the Solomons, and responsibility for Britain’s share in the New Hebrides Condominium, are now the care of the British Colonial Office, acting through Sir Harry Luke, Governor of Fiji, who is also High Com missioner for the Western Pacific.

Australia, as quickly as possible, is creating in her northern waters the best defence organisation permitted by her limited resources. She is using the main land of New Guinea and the adjoining archipelago as the eyes and ears for her navy and military aircraft. Australia should use the Solomons and New Hebrides in the same way; but. before that may be done, some arrangement with the British Colonial Office is necessary.

No one knows why Sir Harry Luke made so hurried and brief a visit to Aus tralia, in April, just prior to the opening in Wellington of the Pacific Defence Conference, but a guess may be made.

The future of the Solomons and of British New Hebrides interests must have entered into discussions of Australia’s de fence plans in the Central and Western Pacific.

Australia’s tropical administration heretofore has been cursed with political interference and the appointment of poli ticians to responsible posts. This has created, among British residents in the Solomons and New Hebrides, a definite fear of Australian administration. This, in turn, must find a sympathetic echo in the British Colonial Office.

“In theory,” says the latter, “the plan of handing our Solomons and New Hebrides responsibilities to Australia has much to commend it. But may we not ask for some guarantee that those territories will receive in the future the same mea sure of disinterested administration as in the past?”

The answer is that Australia now is planning an amalgamation of services, so as to create one self-contained tropical corps for the administration of all her tropical territories, and this is the time to provide for the Solomons and New Hebrides.

If Australia could give the British Col onial Office (a) some sort of guarantee that political appointments will cease,

and that administrators in future will be appointed from the ranks of the trained officers; and (b) a promise that there will be collaboration between the British Col onial Office and the Australian Tropical Administrative Corps—and perhaps, an exchange-of-officers system between Brit ain and Australia, as in the naval, mili tary and air services—then the transfer of the British Western Pacific Islands to Australia would become possible.

Western Samoa

THE position in relation to Western Samoa is quite different. It is be lieved that the Colonial Office is prepared to take the Western Samoa Mandate over from New Zealand (if machinery for such a transfer exists— which is doubtful); and that New Zea land would be glad to be rid of this ad ministrative burden, which is financially costly and politically embarrassing.

In the case of the Solomons and New Hebrides, no economic problem exists.

Britain’s trade in those groups already is in Australian hands. But, on the economic side, Western Samoa must mind its step. If it loses the New Zealand connection, it may lose its banana mar ket; and, to-day, it would be in a sorry condition indeed if it were dependent wholly on the sale of its copra and cocoa, and had no substantial revenue from the disposal of its bananas in New Zealand.

However, if New Zealand, as a return for getting rid of the Samoan burden, will give an undertaking to purchase at least a certain quantity of Samoan bananas each year, it is likely thas the transfer of the Mandate to the Colonial Office, together with the obligation to protect Western Samoa against aggres sion, will be very seriously considered.