Australia and New Zealand Meet to Plan Our

Future Pacific Administration Conversations To Lead to Series of All-Pacific Conferences

TO-DAY (January 17) New Zealand Ministers, led by the NZ Premier (Mr. Fraser) are meeting Australian Ministers (led by the Prime Minister and the Minister for External Affairs, Dr. Evatt), in a series of conferences which may provide the groundwork for the new political and administrative set-up in the Pacific.

These conferences naturally follow the important and far-reaching statement made by Dr. Evatt on October 14 (published in November

"Pim").

THE Australian and New Zealand Ministers will discuss a wide range of subjects, including post-war security zones, the welfare of native peoples, the administration of island territories, communications, and closer collaboration between Australia and New Zealand.

Dr. Evatt said on December 27 that it was hoped to arrange later a wider con ference in Australia of accredited repre sentatives of all Powers with territorial interests in the South-west Pacific. “The conversations in January will discuss common interests and problems of the two countries and their future policies in relation to both the South-west and South Pacific regions,” he said.

Nz Minister Urges

" Federation "

ON. December 24, a few days before Dr.

Evatt announced the conference, the New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister and Minister to Washington, Mr. Walter Nash, in a statement in Can berra (which he was visiting on his way to Washington) advocated a Pacific Islands Federation after the war under the trusteeship of the United States, France. Britain, and Australia.

Mr. Nash argued that the Federation, which should cover all the islands in the South Pacific from the Solomons east ward to the Marquesas; was necessary (a) in order to guard the security of Australia and New Zealand (b) to develop a higher standard of life for the natives, (c) to deal with post-war claims in rela tion to air-bases and landing-fields.

Mr. Nash said that such a trusteeship would function better than the mandates of the last peace settlement because the control would lie closer to the islands than the League of Nations had been.

Mr. Nash’s plan, as published, was vague and shadowy in certain directions.

His Prime Minister, the following day, said the idea was purely Mr. Nash’s own personal suggestion.

“Federation” Advocated By

“Pim” One Year Ago

The idea of a Pacific Islands Federa tion was advanced first 23 years ago, by Sir Henry Milne Scott, in the Legisla tive Council of Fiji (see “PIM” of May, 1943).

It was revived by this journal a year ago—see “Dominion of British Oceania, “PIM.” page 16, January. 1943; and Let Us Remove the Dead Hands of Can berra, Whitehall and Wellington,” “PIM, February, 1943. In that latter article, we said:—

“The communities of the South Pacific tropical territories will make a strong plea for the creation of a new British Dominion, or perhaps, a South Pacific Territories Federation . . . Only by the creation of such a self-governing Domin ion or Federation, functioning under the protection of Great Britain, or under an Anglo-American Union (or whatever body may be set up by the victorious United Nations for the policing of the post-war world) can the Pacific terri tories escape from the dead hands of Australia, Great Britain and New Zea land.”

We described the jumble of administra tive forms and policies in the South Pacific territories and showed how all territories had been retarded by the blight of remote control.

Significant Move In The

West Indies

THERE has been an interesting and significant development in the West Indies. In 1942, the British and American Governments established the British-American Caribbean Commission to deal with matters arising out of war conditions.

The two Governments announced, on January 5, 1944, in Washington, that they had created “a system of West Indies conferences,” to function as an advisory group under the British-American Carib bean Commission. The purpose of the group is to promote co-operative hand ling of social and economic problems in the West Indies.

Every United States territory, or Brit ish colony, or group, in the West Indies, is to send two delegates to the West Indian Conference.

The following has been published in Australian newspapers:— The State Department of the United States regards the project as possibly providing useful experience for handling other colonial problems arising from the war. The principle can be extended to any other areas where similar circum stances exist—for example, the East Indies and Pacific groups, where the political dominance of Britain, America, and other United Nations, will be still further extended after the dismember ment of the Japanese Empire. The sug gestion has already been made that the Japanese mandated islands, forming a geographical group with other British and Australian islands, be acquired by the United States after the war.

{Continued on Page 8)

A New Zealand Viewpoint

rE need for a plan dealing with the “pre-war conglomeration of inter ests” in the Pacific, to ensure the future safety of New Zealand and Aus tralia, was emphasised by the Leader of the New Zealand Opposition, Mr. S. G.

Holland, on his return from Australia, in December. “With the development of air transport, the importance of these widely scattered but strategically situated islands to the future safety of the Dominion and Australia must be patent to anyone,” he said.

He pointed out that, before the war, the Solomons were under the British Colonial Office; New Guinea, the Bis marck Archipelago and Papua were under Australia; France administered New Caledonia, Oceania and Tahiti; Tonga was a semi-independent State; New Zealand controlled the Cook Islands and held a mandate over Western Samoa; Eastern Samoa belonged to the United States; Fiji was a Crown Colony; the New Hebrides were controlled by a condominium; and Norfolk Island was an Australian possession. All these islands were outposts in the defence of Austra lia and New Zealand. The question of future control would also extend to the Micronesian Islands, in which were the Caroline and Marshall groups, former German possessions which had been held by Japan under mandate since the last war.

“The part that commercial aviation will play in the future world and the extent to which British interests will be represented in that field are questions of first importance to Australia and New Zealand,” said Mr. Holland. “There is an intense interest in the future of the Pacific, for the advent of modern avia tion has brought many important islands within a one-flight distance of Australia and New Zealand. The prime question is not only that of freedom of the air above the territory of any country, but that of the use, in the post-war period, of landing grounds constructed for war purposes.”

New Guinea Should be Australia's

by Right of Conquest

FROM a well-known. New Guinea man, now serving with the AIF:— I do not agree with the idea that the fate of the Territory of New Guinea should be decided by the great Powers after the war. I think that Australia should take a firm stand, despite all pacts and mandates, and say: “This is Austra lian—we hold it by right of conquest, by virtue of the blood of our youth, which has been shed to regain it.”

And, if there are those who doubt, the best answer is that they should come with me and see the graves of the AIF at Buna, at Salamaua, at Lae, at Finsch haven, and in the shade of Satelberg.

Although there has not been much publicity given to them, the taking of Finschhaven and the storming of Satel berg were two really great feats of arms. Standing on Satelberg, as I have done to-day, and looking down on Finsch Harbour and the intervening country, one is amazed that any troops could have thrown out a determined enemy from such naturally strong and commanding positions. But Australian troops did it.

Status of New Caledonia

From Our Own Correspondent

Noumea, Dec. 12.

SPECIAL interest is taken in the pro gramme outlined by M. Lapis,

rapporteur - general of the Colonial Commission at Algiers, suggesting the establishment, on Atlantic Charter lines, of a post-war French Federation, to replace the old colonial empire.

This would give each colony a status in accordance with its population, educa tional standard and general condition and requirements. For example, New Caledonia, being regarded as a French province rather than as an exploitation colony, would enter the same group as Algeria, or the old colonies of Martinique and Guadeloupe, or St. Pierre and Miqueleu. Indirectly-ruled countries, with princely heads, like Annam, Morocco and Tunisia, would form another group; and the black African colonies would form yet a third group.