"Conferences"

Mr. E. J. Ward's Visit to NZ

rE Australian Minister for External Territories, Mr. Eddie Ward, has been in New Zealand. He announced, on his return to Australia, that he had been engaged in important conferences relating to the health and education of the natives of the Pacific Islands.

This was interesting; so our NZ repre sentative was requested to send us, by air-mail, everything that had been pub lished in New Zealand relating to the conferences. We have received a bunch of clippings.

We learn that Mr. Ward, accompanied by his private secretary, flew from Syd ney to Auckland on February 16; on February 17, the Australian Minister, scorning the lowly train and the utili tarian aeroplane, left Auckland for Wel lington by car, travelling via Waitomo

and New Plymouth—one of the plea santest tours in New Zealand; and on February 21, he was entertained at “a State luncheon” in Wellington, where both he and the Acting Prime Minister (Mr. Nash) indulged in windy generali ties about their responsibility to the native peoples of the Pacific, and the great good fortune of the peoples of both countries in having had Labour Govern ments to guide them during the critical years of war! A few days later, he flew back to Sydney.

Otherwise, there is hot one word about the nature of, or the decisions taken at the “important conferences” on Island affairs. ?

ACTUALLY, there are many matters bearing upon the health and edu cation of Pacific Islands people which could be profitably discussed be tween Australia and New Zealand. But these are matters for the consideration of men who have devoted a lifetime of study to the problems of native education and health. Professional politicians like Mr. E. J. Ward have nothing to contri bute to a discussion of such subjects.

Mr. Ward’s 1944-45 record, in over-riding his experienced Territories advisers, and trying to introduce measures of full blooded Socialism to the Papua and New Guinea communities, and the chaos which followed his blundering efforts, are a sufficient proof of that.

Let Australia have consultations with

New Zealand by all means —they are long overdue—but let them be carried out by medical specialists, and men who really know something of the problems of native education.

However, we may be comforted by the thought that, while New Guinea’s ad ministrative officials were struggling with chaotic transport and change-over prob lems and labour shortage in the Aus tralian Territories, their Minister was having a cool, restful and pleasant tour in New Zealand.