Territories' Future
p. 30 · Read in the full issue
Awaits Australian Poll
SOON after this issue goes to press, the Australian general election will be held, and on the result of that elec tion will depend the immediate future of the, Australian Pacific Territories of Papua and New Guinea.
Papua-New Guinea (as the jointly ad ministered area is now called) is at pre sent being governed in accordance with three separate and distinct principles, as follow: • Because the Socialist Government is trying to check inflation by excessive taxation, and because the huge funds derived from that taxation have to be spent somewhere. Australia is spending millions of pounds per annum on the Papua-New Guinea Administration. • Papua-New Guinea is to be devel oped for the natives, and not for the benefit of European settlers. • Wherever possible, the profit mot ive (private enterprise) is to be dis couraged, and State instrumentalities substituted.
If the Chifley Government is returned to power, that combination of policies will be continued.
If the Chifley Government is defeated, and a Government led by Messrs. Men zies and Fadden takes over, all three policies will be revised. Excessive taxa tion in Australia will be discontinued, in favour of a policy of taking care of in flation by increased production; this will mean a sharp decrease in the unneces sary expenditure of public funds in the Territories; and European enterprise in
the Territories will be encouraged, so as to make the Administration at least partly self-supporting.
The following statement was included in Mr. Menzies policy speech: “We believe that we must maintain Australia’s right, to defend the Territories, such as Papua and New Guinea, over which she now exercises dominion or mandate.
“But our first duty to these Territories is to develop them. This development requires two things. The first is an Aus tralian Territories Service corresponding to the British Colonial Service, which will provide a constant stream of skilled local administrators.
“The second is a realisation that these Territories cannot be developed unless steps are taken to make local industries prosperous, which means a fair deal to both the planter and the native labour he employs.”