Departmental Committee

To Inquire In Papua and N. Guinea

AN “expert Departmental Committee” has been set up by the Australian Minister for Territories, Mr. Ward, to examine and report upon all his De partment’s plans for development in Papua and New Guinea, including plans for reconstruction and rehabilitation.

The Departments include Post-War Re construction, Commerce, Treasury, Ship ping. The officials concerned will act in close co-operation with the Adminis trator, Colonel J. K. Murray.

It is presumed that the Committee will visit the Australian Territories, and among other things, will examine the re lationship between the Administration and the Production Control Board, which has not been happy of late. The Board has been much more concerned than the Administration with the unhappy con dition of non-official Europeans in the Territories.

If some non-official civilians had been added to this Departmental Committee, some reforms of interest to the planters and miners and traders might have been expected. As it is, this probably will just be another official inquiry, with much expensive travelling around of heavy weight officials.

The Australian Budget provided for the expenditure of some £2,800,000 in the Aus tralian Territories during the current financial year.

10-Years Developmental Plan

THE Australian Prime Minister ex plained on April 16 that Australia was advertising for experts to advise cn large-scale production in Papua and New Guinea of tea, cocoa, copra and rub ber, in accordance with a ten-years’ plan for the development of the Territories.

The Departmental Committee (repre senting Treasury, Post-war Reconstruc tion, External Territories, Commerce, Agriculture. Works and Housing) would examine that and report to Mr.

Ward concerning it.

Mrs. V. Maxwell, whose husband is in charge of the PCB in Rabaul, has re turned to New Guinea after spending a holiday in Sydney.

Miss Ela Gofton, daughter of Mrs. F.

Stewart, cf the Lae Hotel, recently arrived in Sydney by air on a business trip.

Mr. and Mrs. E. T. Fulton and young daughter Mary were passengers to Rabaul on the “Montoro” which left Sydney on April 3. Mr. Fulton now has a wholesale importing and agency business in the old Mandated Territory capital.

Mr. John Stokie has taken over the management of Mrs. Harrv Adam’s property, ‘‘Notre Mai”, in the Bainings, New Britain.

Mr. H. C. Coldham, who has plantation interests in the Witu Group, NG, re cently returned to Sydney after making an inspection of his properties.

Mr. E. W. P. Chinnery formerly Gov ernment anthropologist in New Guinea, recently went to New York to attend meetings of the Trusteeship Committee of UNO, of which he is a member. He will represent Australia during the dis cussions on New Guinea trusteeship.

The High Commissioner for the WPHC has appointed the following Government officers in Pitcairn Island for 1947: Mem bers of Internal Committee. Mr. Arnold Christian and Mr. Cook Coffin; Police Constables. Mr. Grant Young and Mr.

Vernon Young.