Griffiths

Death Of Thomas

N. Guinea's Best Administrator Remained Shortest Time There

BRIGADIER General Thomas Griffiths, CMG, CBE, DSO, former Adminis trator of New Guinea, died in Mel bourne on November 16, aged 82. Of all the high officials whom Australia has sent irito her Pacific Territories, he was held in the highest respect and esteem.

He was born in Wales; and in 1886, aged 21, many years before Federation In Australia, he joined the Victorian Per manent Military Force. When World War I came, he was already 49, and a captain in the Commonwealth Army.

Within four years, he was in the top rank of Australia’s soldiers, and com mandant at the London base, with dec orations won on Gallipoli and French battlefields famous for his organising ability, his tireless industry and his quiet efficiency.

Back in Australia, Griffiths was sent to New Guinea as Military Administrator, until a civil government was established; then he was sent on to the little com munity of Nauru, where he was Ad ministrator from 1921 until 1927. He undertook various jobs for the Common wealth Government within the next few years; and then he had three years, be tween 1931 and 1934, as Acting Adminis trator and Administrator in New Guinea.

At the age of 70, he retired.

GRIFFITHS was an exceptionally fine Administrator, who was sacrificed to political and bureaucratic Bumble dom. He should have been made Admin istrator of New Guinea, in 1921, instead of Wisdom what a different story it would have been in that Territory! He had sound ideas regarding economic de velopment and native welfare, and the strength to put them into effect; whereas Wisdom was merely a highly respected office-holder, without much vision or pur pose. The appointment of Griffiths to Nauru, and to other insignificant jobs in and around Australia, was a tragic waste of a good man.

In 1932, when Griffiths returned to New Guinea, he was 67, and was tired and somewhat disillusioned. Nonetheless, he turned to his new task with considerable enthusiasm none knew better than he what New Guinea could do, given half a chance. Within a year, he had public servants, miners, traders and missionaries pulling together in a manner never known before or since; and, because they were based on practical experience and were free from academic dreaming, his plans for native education and health were far better than anything produced in this present age of Planners.

But, after a while, his enthusiasm waned the spirit went out of his ac tivities. Quite suddenly and unexpec tedly, he gave up the job, and retired on superannuation to his pleasant home in East St. Kilda, where he lived very hap pily for another 13 years. In the manner typical of him, he would give no explana tion he always was loyal to his salt.

Except that, on one occasion, he told an old friend that “the Administrator of New Guinea could not be dictated to by Canberra office-boys.”

He was the only Australian Adminis trator of New Guinea who seemed likely to make a record comparable with that of Sir Hubert Murray, in Papua.

Sir Hubert was big enough, and had been sufficiently long in the job, to defy the Canberra- set-up; whereas “Tom” Grif fiths was too modest, and too old and tired, to talk to Canberra in the langu age that Canberra understands.