Permanent Capital

Mr. Ward Will Visit

New Guinea

And Choose Site For Permanent Capital

RESIDENTS of Papua-New Guinea will be delighted to learn that the Min ,, ister for External Territories, Mr.

Ward, probably will visit the Territory early in the new year. No doubt oppor tunity will be taken by citizens aid public bodies there to meet Mr. Ward and direct his attention towards some of the re finements of life as they exist to-day in that native paradise.

Mr. Ward, himself, made the announce men of his impending visit to the Ter ritory in the Federal Parliament, Can berra, on October 14. He said that dur ing his visit he will go into the question of a permanent capital and the Aus tralian government’s decision on this point will subsequently be announced.

Mr. Ward did not make'it clear whether the capital to which he referred is the capital of New Guinea —the old Mandate —or the capital of the combined Ter ritories of Papua-New Guinea, which at present are governed under the Pro visional Administration set-up.

Certain questions affecting Trusteeship territories have not yet been settled by the United Nations; and, meantime it is difficult to see upon what basis the Aus tralian government can set up permanent combined administration. There is con siderable agitation in the old Mandated Territory to-day—particularly in New Britain for deliverance from Port Moresby control. Territorians claim that they are being sacrificed to Papua which,

some reason, appears to have caught the eye of Australian officialdom.

THIS will be Mr. Ward’s first visit to New Guinea. He paid a two weeks' visit to Papua during the war, as the guest of the Army. It was after this historic event that the Wardist New Order for natives was introduced. It Is hoped that the choice of a capital, which is scheduled to follow his second visit, will have happier results than did the Minister’s first visitation. Territorians, now wise in the ways of politicians, will not expect it, however. It will be re membered that when Mr. Hughes was entrusted with the task of finding an alternative capital to Rabaul, back before World War 11, he plumped for Salamaua.

No one. was ever able to understand why.

No doubt Mr. Ward’s New Year visit will be the usual official picnic, complete with crowds of cheering, well-laundered natives diverted from their lawful, and not so angelic occasions, to pretty-up the New Deal shop-front: with all plans Tor his comfort and convenience made well in advance and —miracle for New Guinea, 1948—adhered to. What goes on behind the scenes won’t be the Minister’s busi ness.

But it is pleasant to play with the thought of a Mr. Ward somehow being shanghai-ed and dumped way up the Sepik River with, maybe, six cranky natives, and instructions to get himself out. Or abandoned on an overgrown plantation without transport, labour or stores, and asked to produce copra for the starving world.

Of such things are planters’ dreams made. It is scarcely possible that any thing so unfortunate and realistic could happen to the man who made New Guinea safe for Fuzzy Wuzzy. freed the slaves from the evil machinations of pre datory planters, and tied a tin-can to the tail of the exploiters.