Mr. P. Costello Guest At

Pta Meeting

MR. PAT COSTELLO, well-known busi ness man of Fiji, arrived in Sydney in March on the Matson liner “Lurline.”

He was a guest at the Pacific Terri tories Association meeting on March 19, and at its conclusion, briefly addressed members.

He said that references by members during the evening to such things as Custodian of Expropriated Properties, war damage insurance claims, lack of labour in New Guinea, rehabilitation, and permits to return to the Territories, had bewildered him, and that he was ap palled at the task that faced planters and other Territorians who wished to re establish themselves.

He said that in Fiji when members of the Chamber of Commerce felt they had a grievance, they invited the Colonial Secretary or some other responsible Gov ernment official, to meet them and the problem was then thoroughly thrashed out, and a solution fpund. • He asked PTA members if they could not do something of the sort with the Minister for External Territories, and others with whom residents of the Territory must deal in their efforts to re-establish themselves.

Mr. R. A. Laws replied that the Associa tion had repeatedly asked Mr. Ward and others to meet them, but so far without any result whatever.