Pacific Ships Held Up

THE liner “Duntroon,” carrying “Dis posals tourists”- to Rabaul and other sales, was the first big ship to sail from Sydney to New Guinea for several weeks.

The “Montoro,” having returned from her September-October trip, was held in Sydney Harbour for weeks by industrial troubles. She was still there on the 13th.

The “Malaita,” whose advent has been eagerly awaited for months, is still under repair in the strike-ridden Sydney dock yards.

No one has understood why the Aus tralian Government, instead of restoring the old Administrations (all the mach inery of which was in existence) created a new temporary organisation to admin ister the two Territories as one unit.

This procedure involved Australia in enormous expense.

Colonel Murray was appointed Admin istrator in September, 1945, for one year, and his Papua-New Guinea Provisional Administration began to function at the end of October.

As the war-time powers under which the Act creating the Provisional Admin istration expire at the end of 1946, it will be necessary—if the Provisional Admin istration Is to continue —for the Aus tralian Parliament to pass another Act, giving the Administration authority to continue in 1947. This will be done in the Parliament which assembles in Can berra this month.

It is assumed that Colonel J. K. Mur ray and the present Papua-New Guinea Administration will continue to function until the Trusteeship division of the United Nations has decided upon the fate of the various Territories governed by mandate from the League of Nations —of which New Guinea is one. After that, it will be seen whether Papua and New Guinea will continue as one Ad ministration, or whether the two sep arate Administrations will be restored.

In the latter event, according to an undertaking given by the Australian Government, Mr. Leonard Murray will return to the Administratorship of Papua for, at least, the unexpired por tion of his prewar appointment as Ad ministrator.