Fate of Papua’s Government Apparently
pp. 8-9 · Read in the full issue
Awaits Outcome of Barry Inquiry
(See also article on p. 41)
THE question of when civil government is to be restored to Papua, and civi lians permitted to return, appears to be closely linked with the “mystery inquiry” now being made by Mr. Barry, Melbourne KC, concerning the circum stances surrounding the cessation of civil administration in Papua in February, 1942.
Nothing at all, so far as is generally known, is being done to prepare for the return of civil government. People who know something of the undercurrents say that the Army is opposing civil restoration on the following three grounds: ® Control over bases in Papua is needed by the Army in order to facilitate opera tions in the Mandated Territory, where the AIF is now settling down to the task of rooting out the Jap armies by-passed and isolated by the American-Australian advances in 1943-4. • The Territory of Papua and the lib erated parts of the Territory of New Guinea are now being administered as one area by the Army-controlled ANGAU, comprising officials from both Territories: and, as the Papuan administrative sys tem has been completely abandoned in favour of a composite system, it would be most difficult and inconvenient to remove ANGAU from Papua, and permit the old civil administration to resume its func tions. • The basis of this administration is transport. The Army must have com plete control over all transport so long as operations are proceeding in New Guinea.
Which makes out a good case, calcu lated* to impress a Canberra Minister But the facts are: There is nothing to prevent the Army having the fullest con trol over all bases required in Papua just as it has over bases, further south’ in the State of Queensland. In the inter ests of the civilian Europeans and the Papuan natives, it is urgent that civilian government be restored. If this is not done soon, many hundreds of blameless planters, miners and traders, many of whom pioneered this country for Austra lia, will be hopelessly ruined. The social structure and morale of the ' Papuan natives, so carefully protected and trained during 40 years by MacGregor and Mur ray, are being destroyed by the present regime, with its ruthless system of forced labour. The “difficulty and inconveni ence of switching back from ANGAU to civil administration will be more than Ced A^A h TT econ 9 mic benefit to Aus tralia. ANGAU now is using 8, or 10, or 20 men where the civil administration employed only one or two. The present cost of administering Papua must be staggering: but details are all hidden Expe y ndSure.’’ <DePartment ° f the Ar^~ brass hats are suspect AN important reason why civil adminis tration should be restored is that the motives of certain Army heads in Papua are suspect. Ever since the Jap invasion if not before-they have dreamed of the day when the war would be over; the two Territories thrown into oSt e: to n ?hp at R admir ii St . rative jobs handed »fS of 6 th?ir aS s S tep Wh ° haVe been And events have developed In their favour. There Is little left of the civil administrations of. New Guinea and Papua. Owing to the monstrous bungling
of certain high officers (of whom much more will be heard when National Security permits!) a large proportion of New Guinea’s administrative heads were trapped in Rabaul when the Japs invaded; the civil administrator of New Guinea (Sir Walter McNicoli) has retired' a considerable proportion of Papua’s senior officials have retired, through one cause and Another; and apart from Papua s civil administrator (Mr. Leonard Murray) there would be only a handful 9f senior officials left to fill the principal jobs, if civil administration were restored in both Territories to-morrow.
If Mr. Murray and his senior officials were out of the way, there is little appar ent reason why ANGAU should not change over from wartime zo peacetime establishment, and govern the two Ter ritories as the new civil administration— complete with its present directing coterie of high-ranking and highly-paid Brass Hats!
And that is why the present unexpected Roya! Commission into the circumstances of February, 1942, is suspected of being inspired and supported by the Brass Hats.
If it is not, then it is a singular coinci dence, because it comes as a complete surprise (until now, nothing had been heard by the public of any failure by the Papuan Administration in February 1942); it is so arranged that it places the Papuan Administrator and his senior offi cers in the position of defendants; and, if the latter are found guilty, then the way presumably is clear for a clean sweep of the old Papuan Administration.
Angau Personnel
THIS comment and criticism must not be construed as an attack upon the personnel of ANGAU. The ANGAU set-up is ridiculously over-staffed and very expensive; but that is a characteris tic fault of Brass Hats. The men who are carrying out the jobs allotted to them have nothing to do with the basic organisation.
Gathered within ANGAU, now are a larfre proportion of the former public ser vice personnel of Papua and New Guinea and a large number of young men who were engaged in commercial occupations in those Territories, and whose services have been obtained for this semi-militarv job. No pulbic criticism of the quality of these men, and the way in which thev carry out their duties, has been made— except that there are far too manv of them.
ANGAU men, individually, are held in respect by all who have had contact with them—especially those lads who have been “taking the rough stuff” out in the jungles.
Criticism is directed against certain Brass Hats who, knowing nothing what ever of the Territories or of tropical administration, originally went to Papua and New Guinea upon military duties who—as was predicted at the time by this newspaper—cast a covetous eye upon the principal administrative iobs around the place; and who have used ANGAU to put themselves into line for permanent appointments after the war.
It is an extraordinary fact—and one upon which we commented long before wartime conditions threw civilians gen erally into the arms of the militarist and the bureaucrat—that every old soldier above the rank of colonel, and most of the e-entlemen who have been tossed out of Parliament, imagine that they are
qualified in some Heaven-born way to become administrators of tropical terri tories. They have been the curse of the Australian and New Zealand Pacific Ter ritories fo,r three decades, and we fear we
are not finished with them yet. The pacific Territories of Britain and France are administered, as a matter of course, by men who have been trained all their lives in administration, and who rise through the colonial services by merit.
The Barry Inquiry
AS was reported here last month, the inquiry of Royal Commissioner Barry was opened in Melbourne in Decem ber, and was continued in Sydney on January 4. A large number of persons, including the Civil Administrator of Papua (Mr. Leonard Murray) and his senior officers, gave evidence, in that and the following week. The Commissioner and his assistants have now gone to Port Moresby, where evidence is to be taken.
When the Commissioner sat in Sydney,
an urgent plea was made to him to per mit evidence to be taken in public, so that the Australian people might know something of the matters under consid eration. The Commissioner, however, deeded that all proceedings must be in camera.
Terms of reference are as follow: John Vincent Barry, KC, is appointed a Com missioner to inquire into, and report to the Minister for External Territories on the follow ing matters, being matters in relation to the public safety and defence of the Commonwealth and the Territories of the Commonwealth: (1) All the circumstances relating to the suspension of the Civil Administration of the Territory of Papua in February, 1942. (2) Without restricting the generality of 1, the following particular matters: (a) Whether the Administrator and/or any members of the Legislative Council and/or any members of the Executive Council of Papua failed in their public duty to safeguard the Territory; (b) Whether any action taken or omitted to be taken by the Military Com mandant of the Bth Military District prior to noon on 14th February, 15’42, contributed to any failure on the part of the Civil Administration of the Territory; (c) Whether there was adequate co operation between the Civil Adminis tration and the military authorities in the Territory and, if not, who was re sponsible for the absence of such co operation; and (d) All other matters deemed relevant to the above.
The Commissioner will report to the Minister for External Territories, Mr.
Ward. Mr. Ward, of course, must take the report to Cabinet. After that, some decision will be made, presumably, regard ing the return of civil administration to Papua, and the personnel of that administration.
Departmentalism is notorious for its dilatory methods. There has been no haste in this matter —it is at least six months since we first heard a whisper of “the mysterious Barry inquiry about Papua.” It will be surprising if anything decisive is done before the end of March.