The Future Of

Angau

Have Former Administrative Officers Any Remaining Rights?

A MEMBER of the Papuan public ser vice—well-known, and with a fine record of war service—returned recently to the Australian section of the global war; and his letter to the editor of this journal is typical of many com munications received. Here is part of it: “Now that the war has moved on, and in view of recently reported commercial activities, some questions arise in my mind.

“What of the Civil Administration?

“Why has our Administrator been apparently ignored in the discussions regarding Papua’s future?

“Are the rights of officers who, like myself, volunteered for military service prior to December, 1941, being preserved and considered in the planning of Papua’s future?

“With many years’ service behind me, and the future welfare of my young family at stake, any information would be greatly appreciated.”

To which we can only reply as follows: The Civil Administrations of Papua and the Mandated Territory have been set aside with such thoroughness that there seems to have been design in it.

What appears to be a carefully-selected number of former Papua and TNG ad ministrative officials have been brought together in that special administrative branch of the Australian Army called ANGAU; and ANGAU is under the com mand and direction of a Major-General Morris and one or two other Army offi cers, who had had no previous experience whatever of tropical islands administra tion.

ANGAU now is well dug in, in high ranking, well-paid Army jobs; and there is no indication whatever that anyone contemplates an early return to Civil Administration.

ANGAU’S responsibility is concerned mainly with the natives. The only true civilians who have returned to the two Territories are a few hand-picked plant ers, and a few well-disciplined mission aries: therefore, ANGAU’S' administra tion cannot be Judged according to the usual standards. Various gentlemen who know the Territories well, and who might have been critical of the administration, have been shepherded to Australia, and have not been allowed to return.

Any criticism of ANGAU is not to be expected, in these circumstances. There has been no criticism.

WHEN ANGAU was first established, some two years ago, the comment of Territorians was: “These lads will die: in, with everything they’ve got, and will try to get a lien on the fat jobs of the Civil Administration, when it returns.”

Colour is given to that belief, now, by the facts that (a) nearly all senior administrative officials of both Territories have been consistently ignored by the Army set-up during the past two years, and pushed into the background; (b) certain senior officials who have been reluctantly admitted to the ranks of ANGAU apnear to have lost all the seniority rights which they had gained bv long and good civil service in the Ter ritories.

Efforts have been made to get from Canberra some undertaking that Civil Administration will be restored at the earliest possible moment in the Terri tories and that, in such restoration, the rights of all former Administration offi

dais will have precedence over whatever claims the high-ranking military officials have managed to establish during their occupation. But Canberra shies away from any such request.

The Curtin Labour Government is in charge at Canberra, As is indicated by the present condition of the Commonwealth, the Curtin Government is the most hopeless collection of bumble-footed blunderers ever seen in the shape of an Australian Government. The people of the Territories cannot hope to get from such Ministers either firmness in dealing with bureaucrats (Army or otherwise) or justice in protecting the claims of Territorian officials and civilians.

Present indications are that ANGAU will hold office for a long time yet; and,

then, that the present ANGAU organisa tion will be transformed and modified to become the new Administration of the combined Territories. That will be a good thing for the former Administrative offi cers now in ANGAU, who probably thus will get effective recognition and quick promotion; but a very bad thing for all the former Administrative officials who were not taken into ANGAU, or who are not liked by the Army wallahs.

However, if said Army wallahs are allowed to ride into high office on the back of a reconstructed ANGAU—well, the Australian newspapers may have something to say, even if “Jack” Curtin and “Eddie” Ward and “Ben” Chifley are bamboozled and dumb.