Indignant Public

Servants In Port Moresby

Pt. Moresby, Sept. 11 SHARP discontent at failure of the Ad ministration to provide reasonable amenities of life—especially housing —was voiced at meetings of the public servants here during the past two or three weeks. Public servants also are resentful because a reclassification of the service, allegedly promised by Mr. J.

R. Halligan (Secretary of the Depart ment) when he was in Port Moresby three months ago, has not been ordered by the Minister.

The Administrator (Colonel J. K. Mur ray) went along to one of the meetings —rather unexpectedly —and there was some frank and open discussion which, it was hoped, would clear the air.

Many of the senior public servants, who were suspended at the beginning of the Jap invasion, and who are now back on this Provisional staff, have been “roughing it” for nearly five years, and they naturally feel that they are entitled now to a little special consideration. (The “Sunday Sun” (Sydney) of Sept. 15 states that the civil servants are threatening to strike; that Administra tor Murray tried to quash their meeting and, when they insisted on meeting, he went along to "intimidate” them; and that statements by Minister Ward (that “there were no complaints,” and “a noisy minority” was responsible for the trouble, were “scorned” and “derided.”

A Territorian who arrived in Sydney on 16th inst. described “Sun” report as

“exaggerated.”)