The Fight Must Go On

PTA Amends Constitution for Use in Territories After Civil Administration Resumes

WHEN the Minister for External Ter ritories made his recent announce ment concerning the return of civil administration to Papua and the area south of the Markham River in Man dated New Guinea, the Pacific Territories Association telegraphed asking for ampli fication. They received the following reply : “Received telegram and noted contents.

No further announcement can be made at this juncture. As decisions are arrived at full publicity will be given in the press.”

This is in direct contradiction of the sentiments expressed in a letter from Mr.

Ward to the PTA in September last when, in reply to a telegram from the PTA asking for confirmation of a statement by the Minister covering return of civil administration to the Territories, Mr.

Ward wrote: “Firstly, as an official of the Pacific Territories Association, _you should be fully aware of the danger in paying too much heed to what appears in the anti-Labour daily press, and it would be as well to await official announcements on all occasions before giving them credence.”

In a report to a meeting of PTA mem bers in the Teachers’ Federation Hall, Phillip Street, Sydney, on March 20, the executive expressed disapproval of Mr.

Ward’s latest telegram and his continued policy of shilly-shally.

It was evident, said Mr. E. A. James, president of the Association, that even after three years, the Federal Govern ment had no policy of reconstruction for Papua and New Guinea. From the point of view of the civilian community of the Territories, Mr. Ward’s announcement of March 9 meant nothing. ANGAU ad ministration would simply be replaced by some sort of provisional government that would not derive its powers from the Papua Act or the New Guinea Act but from National Security Regulations.

Admission to the Territories would be rigorously controlled and civilians would need to secure a permit to return home.

The remainder of the PTA quarterly report was as follows:

Delegation to the Prime Minister

WE wrote to the Prime Minister re questing him to meet a delegation from the executive, and duly received his reply that, owing to his many other duties, he could not at present meet us, but in the meantime he referred us to Mr. Ward. As all matters to be brought up had previously been submitted to the Minister for External Territories, without any definite results, your executive con sidered it useless to again place them before him.

War Damage Insurance

SINCE our last meeting, the Amend ments to the War Damage to Pro perty Regulations have been pro mulgated and are at present being imple mented by the Commission. Naturally, this work will take some time to com plete. The Commission has decided to pay War Damage Insurance claims on all private chattels which have been assessed, and all claimants will receive notice of this in due course.

Regarding the payment of compensa tion for small vessels lost, and not cov erage under War Damage to Property Regulations, we understand that the Fed eral Government has decided to com pensate owners for such losses and own

ers will be advised of this when full details of the arrangements are avail able.

Social

AS instructed by the last quarterly general meeting, the executive organised a harbour trip on Feb ruary 23, 1945, and an invitation was issued to all members and their families together with all other residents of the Territories. The Administrator of Papua, Mr, Leonard Murray, the ex-Administra tor of New Guinea, Sir Walter McNicoll, and the Hon. Mr. E. J. Ward, Minister for External Territories, were invited to be present as the official guests of the

executive.

Mr. Ward, owing to his Parliamentary duties, was unfortunately unable to attend. The executive were very grati fied with the response to their invitation, as between 700 and 800 persons availed themselves of the opportunity to meet their old friends and have a talk. The executive also took the opportunity to help entertain some of the British Ser vicemen at present in Australia, and 40 members of RAF units were present as guests of the Association.

New Constitution

IN order that the Association may func tion after the return of civil adminis tration to the Territories, it was decided some time ago to amend the existing constitution and rules which apply only to the Association as it exists in Australia, This the Association’s legal advisers found impossible to do; instead, they drew up a new constitution, which

will come into force on the day that the Federal Government announces the spe cific date that civil administration will commence operations in the Territories or part of the Territories.

In introducing the new constitution and rules to the meeting, Mr. James said

that after the Government’s recent announcement, it was more desirable than ever that Territorial should band together. No one knew what would be the final post-war set-up in the New Guinea Territories, but by the very nature of the Territories there must con

tinue to be diversified interests between Papua and New Guinea (or whatever they were then called) and even between different districts in those Territories.

Therefore, it had been decided to create separate branches for Papua and New Guinea, and provide also .for the creation of other district branches should the need arise.

Mr. Cyril Helton, making his first appearance at PTA meetings, moved a resolution that the aim of the Associa tion be amended to include the PTA’s opposition to enemy aliens re-entering the Territories and* also its opposition to the naturalisation of persons who were aliens at the outbreak of the "war. After a great deal of heated discussion, wherein it was pointed out to the meeting by Mr. E. J.

Thomas, and others, that this was already covered by the clause relating to the pro tection of all residents and their pro perty. the motion was put to the meet ing and defeated.

An amendment was made to the clause covering the constitution of branches.

Seven members had been provided for. but it was decided by the meeting to add another member representing women’s organisations. Mr. Helton’s was the only dissentient voice; he claimed that “women’s place is in the home—they should stay out of this.”

With this one amendment, the new constitution was approved. (New clauses which will now come into effect on the day that the Commonwealth announces the date of resumption of civil adminis tration, were summarised in March “PlM”—page 7.)

Discussion

THE meeting was then open for a gen eral discussion, and Mr. Helton returned, forthwith, to his aliens.

He promised to produce documents to the

executive in support of his claim that certain enemy aliens had engaged in subversive activity before and after the outbreak of the Pacific war. Mr. James, for the executive, promised that if Mr.

Helton’s claims were substantiated the PTA would take the matter up with the proper authorities, Mr. Helton asked also that an inquiry should be made into the New Guinea Forestry Unit (Army) now being formed to survey New Guinea’s timber resources.

Mr. Helton suggested that this was of no military value and the survey was being done at the instigation of a Queens land timber company. Mr. James pro mised that the matter would receive attention.

Mr. Helton asked Mr. James whether the PTA intended to sit down and do nothing with regard to the recent announcement concerning the provisional government to be set up in Papua and New Guinea.

Mr. James; Certainly not! The Asso ciation is doing everything in its power to have these decisions modified.

Mr. E. J. Thomas spoke in support of Mr. R. W. Robson’s recent demand in the Sydney “Daily Telegraph” that an inquiry be held into the circumstances surround ing the capture of civilians and Army personnel in Rabaul when it fell to the Japanese in January, 1942. Mr. Helton proposed that the PTA should endorse the demand for an inquiry into the hap penings at Rabaul and in New Guinea generally—and particularly into the shootings on the Sepik River in the early months of the invasion period. This resolution was carried.

War Damage And Unrra

AT the conclusion of the meeting, Mr.

James expressed his appreciation at the fair deal that evacuees were being given by the War Damage Com mission.

In reply to a question on UNRRA, he said that that body worked only for the rehabilitation of countries which had signified that they were unable to carry on the work themselves. With regard to New Guinea, Australia has not expressed this inability, and therefore New Guinea was outside UNRRA’s jurisdiction.