New Guinea

Civil Government In Papua And

Restoration by “Provisional" Device —No Early Return of Civilians or Trading

AFTER being fobbed off for months with Ministerial promises of an early restoration of civil government —which, they assumed, meant their early return to their homes—Territorians last week were presented with a statement which few can understand.

It means, apparently, that although civil government will be restored in name, the present conditions—so far as they affect civilians and trading—will continue indefinitely.

The following statement was made in the House of Representatives, Canberra, on March 9, by the Minister for External Territories {Mr. Ward) : « A DECISION has been taken by the A Commonwealth Government, after consultation with the Commander in-Chief (Sir Thomas Blarney), that the operational position in relation to the Territory of Papua and certain parts of the Territory of New Guinea is such that steps may now be taken for the restora tion of civil administration in the whole of the Territory of Papua and in that portion of the Territory of New Guinea that lies south of the Markham River.

“Full military control of this area, under authority of National Security (Emergency Control) Regulations, will, therefore, be terminated as soon as it is practicable to re-organise the civil admin istrative service.

“Other portions of the Territory of New Guinea that have been recovered from the Japanese will continue to be under the full administrative control of the military authorities until such time as the opera tional position permits the transfer of control of those areas to civil administra tion.

“WHEN the Japanese invaded New TT Guinea in January, 1942, there were separate administrations for Papua and New Guinea, each with an Adminis trator and a separate judiciary and a separate Public Service.

“All persons employed by both Adminis trations were suspended from office by National Security (External Territories) Regulations and such functions of civil administration as were necessary to be performed have since been carried out by ANGAU (the Australian New Guinea Administration Unit), which is a branch, of the Australian Military Forces. The Unit commenced operations in Papua and progressively extended its activities to the Territory of New Guinea. For con venience, the two Territories have been regarded as one administrative area.

“Although the Government does not propose at this stage to consider the ques tion of a combined Public Service for the two Territories, it considers that it would not be desirable immediately to re-estab lish the two entirely separate services. It has, therefore, been decided to continue the suspension of the officers of the two services and make temporary arrange ments for the performance of functions of civil administration in the Territory of Papua and the portion of the Territory of New Guinea south of the Markham River which will include Salamaua, Wau and the Bulolo River valley. These arrangements will provide for— “ 1. The Appointment of one Adminis trator for Papua and liberated areas under Australian administration in New Guinea. The appointment will carry a

salary at the rate of £2,000 per annum with free quarters and an allowance for entertainment. administration to £ e ttyled ‘The tive Service for Papua and Liberated Areas under Australian Administration in New Guinea,’ to be set up to administer both Territories

Reports which circulated in Sydney on March 12: Major-General Morris is moving from ANGAU, New Guinea, to another important command.

Major-General Bertie Lloyd will go from command of an Australian Army to command of ANGAU.

Brigadier Cleland, head of New Guinea Production Board, has re turned to West Australia, and re entered civil life there.

Said a military spokesman to the editor of “PIM”; “General Morris is at the head of ANGAU, and pre sumably will stay there until the new Civil Administrator has arrived.

General Lloyd knows nothing what ever about the matter referred to.

Brigadier Cleland has returned to civil life.”

“3. The suspension of all officers and employees of the Public Services of Papua and New Guinea to be continued, but such officers and employees will be entitled to appointment in the Provisional Adminis trative Service under conditions of service and salaries not less favourable than those applicable to those officers as members of the Public Services of Papua or New Guinea as the case may be. The rights of such officers ■ under the terms of their appointment will be preserved to them and such rights will be safeguarded dur ing the period of the Provisional Adminis tration.

What It Really Means

rRRITORIANS, being people accus tomed to plain speaking, have found this Ministerial statement somewhat baffling; and, during the past week, they have anxiously sought enlightenment.

This is what it means: A civil administration, taking its orders presumably from the Department of Ex ternal Territories, may be established some time in 1945, when the Department of the Army, the Department of External Territories, ANGAU-, and the Production Control Board can reconcile their mach inery and iron out their various differ ences.

This will not be a Papuan Govern ment, nor a New Guinea Government; but will be a “provisional” administration,

“4. During the period of the Provisional Administration, the Legislative Councils which formerly operated for the Terri tories will not be re-established and the powers of legislation in relation to the Territories will be exercised by the Gov ernor-General.

“5. The laws of Papua and New Guinea (except those relating to the constitution of the administration of the Territories and to the Public Services of the Terri tories) will be continued within their respective territorial limits, subject to such modifications and amendments as are necessary.

“In view of the temporary nature of the arrangements outlined, action will not be taken to amend the Papua Act or the New Guinea Act, but all necessary legislative action will be taken under the National Security Act.

“Steps will now be taken to select an appointee for the office of Provisional Administrator and to determine the details of the conditions under which officers will be employed in the pro visional service.

“ A LTHOUGH the operational needs of A the Territories are now such *as to permit the restoration of civil ad ministration, it will be some time before normal conditions can be re-established, especially in relation to the supply of stores and the provision of transport between Australia and the Territories and within the Territories.

“No indication can yet be given as to when the transfer of control from the military authorities will be effected; and it will be necessary for some time to maintain restrictions upon the entry of persons to the Territories and upon acti vities generally; “It is proposed that certain items of Government policy, affecting both Euro peans and natives, should be determined and announced before there is a general return of civilians to the Territories.

“Furthermore, much reconstruction and rebuilding of public and private utilities and living accommodation will be neces sary, especially in the Territory of New Guinea, before any large number of civi lians can be accommodated in the town areas.

“So far as possible, authority will be given for the return of persons to plan tations, but such persons will, for the pre sent, be subject to the control of the Aus tralian New Guinea Production Control Board under National Security (External Territories—Control of Industries) Regu lations.

“The number of vacancies that will require to be filled in the Provisional Administrative Service will not be known until it is ascertained what officers of the Public Services of Papua and New Guinea are available and desire appointment to the Provisional Service.”

set up temporarily, to take charge of Papua and whatever parts of New Guinea are clear of the Japs. It will remain in being until (a) the Papua Act and other Australian legislation creating the Terri tory of Papua is got rid of; (b) the Man date from the League of Nations, giving Australia authority to administer New Guinea, is withdrawn; (c) the new world authority, to be set up as a result of the San Francisco Conference, has reached a decision regarding the future of New Guinea. This may easily embrace a period of some years.

The constitutional and legal position is exceedingly obscure. Therefore, the new “provisional” administration is being set up under National Security Regulations.

Therefore, presumably, it cannot continue after the legal ending of the Pacific war, without special legislation.

The first step will be the appointment of an Administrator. There is not the faintest indication of who this may be.

He, nominally—but Canberra, actually— will select the members of his adminis trative staff; and it is noted that all members of the “suspended” services of Papua and New* Guinea are “entitled” to appointment to this new service, with their seniority rights preserved.

The Administrator will carry on with out any Legislative Council. In other words, any European civilians allowed into the Territories will have no voice in the new Government.

There is to be no dropping of the barriers, and no free general return to the Territories of civilians and of private enterprise, as Territorians had so eagerly hoped. Instead, the present method of permitting a few carefully selected men to return, to operate their plantations under the Production Control Board system, apparently is to continue in definitely.

THIS “Provisional” Administration really is a very ingenious device, in which one probably sees the hand of Dr.

Evatt. It gets a lot of people out of a lot of difficulties.

No one apparently wanted to restore the old Administrations—ANGAU, because of the wide differences between the Papuan and New Guinea public service, and Mr. Ward because those two set-ups would not give him much opportunity to “control” the return of civilians, and the development of trade and industry.

With one sweep of the pen, all the things likely to irritate the Army and baffle Mr. Ward are got rid of—old administrative officers, with strange, fixed ideas about the freedom of individuals and the proper protection of native rights; Legislative Councils, who might want to give too much attention to civilian in terests, and the encouragement of indus tries carried on for profit, and who might even argue points with HM Ministers in Canberra; and the system of open trad ing.

The Territorians are not to be allowed to return, for some time; the stores will not re-open; and all industry apparently will be conducted under the immediate supervision of. the Production Control Board—already in existence under control of the Dept, of External Territories Territorians can be pardoned if they see Mr. Ward’s “restoration of civil gov ernment” merely as a change from flat footed, bureaucratic control under ANGAU to the same kind of control under his Department. Instead of the Government being moved from one structure to an other, the Government remains under the same structure, and the only thing changed is the name of the structure.

It is a little too soon to cavil and criticise however. Canberra evidently has made a decision, and Canberra will not be moved by howling and disappoint ment. We can only wait— pessimistically and see how the new idea works out On present appearances, it looks bad for Europeans, and not good for natives.

Mr. Leonard Murray

MANY people are asking where Mr Leonard Murray (Civil Adminis trator of Papua) stands in all this.

His position is obscure.

It may be that it is proposed to ap point him head of the new Provisional Administration. If so, the Minister might at least have paid him—and many others —the courtesy of saying so.

During the past three months, Mr Murray has been virtually the defendant in an inquiry conducted by a Melbourne

barrister, Mr. Barry, KC, in terms of a Royal Commission, into the circumstances surrounding the suspension of civil gov ernment by the Army in February, 1942.

The inquiry was held in secret, and sur rounded by official hush-hush. But it is believed that it was instigated by Army Brass-hats hostile to Mr. Murray.

It was not expected that the Minister’s statement regarding the restoration of civil administration to the Territories would be made until he had received the Barry report. Mr. Barry had to report on these things: (1) All the circumstances relating to the suspension of the Civil Administration of the Territory of Papua in February, IS'42. (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, 1942, 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.

There is no official indication that the Minister has yet received that report, or of the Government’s intentions regarding the man who still is, officially (though under suspension since February 12, 1942), Administrator of Papua.

It is reported in Sydney, however, that the Barry report “completely exonerates”

Mr. Murray—that, in fact, “he comes out of it all with considerable distinction.”