Administrator Of

Papua

A Report and a Contradiction

NO appointment has been made to the position of Administrator of the Australian Territory of Papua; and the indications are that nothing will be done by the Federal Government until after the general election on September 21.

A stir was caused by a report in the “Sydney Morning Herald”, of August 19, that the Federal Government probably would decide to have only one adminis trator for the two territories of Papua and New Guinea, and it was expected that Sir Walter McNicoll (the present Administrator of New Guinea) would take charge of the two territories — probably with his headquarters at Port Moresby.

Some such move as this was not unexpected—the formation of Papua and New Guinea into the Bth Australian Military district, with headquarters at Port Moresby, had suggested that for reasons of economy it might be desirable to have one man who would act at once as Administrator of the two territories and officer in charge of the military district.

As no contradiction was published, the editor of the “P.1.M.”, on August 21, directed the attention of the Minister for External Territories to the newspaper report, and asked whether the proposal was being seriously entertained. The Minister sent a reply by telegram. He said that the statement in the “Sydney Morning Herald” was “purely a press man's imagination”, and that no such suggestion had even been considered.

The indications are that Mr. Cham pion will retain his present office, as Acting-Lieutenant Governor of Papua, for some time to come. There prob ably will be a change of Government at Canberra; there will be a new Minister for External Territories: and that new Minister, instead of taking so import ant a step as the appointment of a new Administrator, almost certainly will wish to visit Papua and New Guinea and make himself acquainted, not only with the Territories themselves, but with the principal officials in the Territories.