Colonial Office Man on Long Pacific Tour

Long Pacific Tour

ANEW departure on the part of the Colonial Office has been to send Mr. Trafford Smith, one of its young officials, on an official tour of almost all the British nossessions in the Pacific, on which he has been engaged for two years. Mr. Smith, who arrived in Syd ney late in December, and proceeded at once to Canberra, had just comnleted a visit to the Solomon and New Hebrides groups, and New Guinea.

Early in the year he will visit the Gil bert and Ellice groups, and eventually return to England via the United States.

Until Malcolm MacDonald’s retirement from the Secretaryship of the Dominions, Mr. Smith was his private secretary.

During the Coronation celebrations he had much to do with the official visitors from the Colonies, including Fiji.

Most of the two years spent in the Pacific has been occupied by a study of Fijian problems. While in Suva Mr.

Smith had an opportunity of flying to Tonga, where he saw the Governmental authorities. He was in the party that travelled in the New Zealand flying-boat “Aotearoa”, which gave expert advice on aeronautical affairs to the Tongan Gov ernment.

While in Sydney, Mr. and Mrs. Traf ford Smith renewed acquaintance with Prince Tuboutoa, of Tonga, in whose company they had dined at Govern ment House in Suva.

Dr. T. C. Backhouse, formerly of New Guinea, is now a major in the medical section of the Australian Military Forces.