Mrs. Baker Of Witu

Why is She Not Allowed to Return?

Prom Our Own Correspondent

Canberra, Mar. 27.

FEDERAL Parliament to-night heard the story of Mrs. G. L. Baker, copra plantation manageress, Witu Islands, who wants to sail back to New Guinea on her own ketch.

The story was told by the Country Party member for New England, NSW, Mr. Abbott, who read letters sent to the Government by Mrs. Baker in an attempt to get permission to return to her plan tation.

Mrs. Baker was awarded the MBE for her distinguished service in evacuating troops from New Britain after the Japa nese invasion of Rabaul in January, 1942.

Mr. Abbott asked the Government to sanction Mrs. Baker’s return to her plan tation, which she managed before the war, after the death of her husband. He said Mrs. Baker’s offer to sail back on her own ketch had been made in des peration, after repeated requests to the Government for a shipping berth to New Britain had been refused.

Mrs. Baker had first written to the Government asking for permission to enter the Territory and reorganise her plantation.

The Minister for the Army (Mr. Forde) subsequently told her Army authorities controlling the Witu area had no objec tion to her returning. But when she sought a passage to New Britain, her requests were constantly refused.

Mr. Abbott said: “Now Mrs. Baker has offered to sail back herself. She is an experienced navigator and did good work evacuating trapped troops fro.\n New Britain in 1942. Apparently she is being kept here because of her sex. When she was evacuating our troops from New Britain it didn’t matter a damn whether she was a woman.”

The Speaker (Mr. Rosevear): “Order— you can’t use that language.”

Mr. Abbott; “It didn’t matter a bit whether she was a woman.”

Mr. Abbott read extracts from a letter from Mrs. Baker, in which the writer slated the Minister for the Army for his attitude to her requests. He added: “Be cause the backboneless Minister for the Army refuses to assist Mrs. Baker she is denied the right to return to her plan tation. Mrs. Baker has told me she knows the hardships she will have to face in going back to her plantation. She should be allowed back.”