Territories' Union

Australian Socialists' Plan For Papua And New Guinea

AN announcement, long awaited, con cerning the future Administrative set-up in Papua and New Guinea, was made in Canberra on November 25, when it was stated that “legislation to establish an Administrative Union of the Australian Territory of Papua and the Mandated Territory of New Guinea will be drafted for presentation to the Federal Parliamentary Labour Party at an early date.”

The Australian Cabinet, acting on the recommendation of the Minister for the External Territories (Mr. Ward) decided that the Bill will provide for one Admin istrative head, one Legislative body, and common services for the Union, which will be called “the Territory of Papua and New Guinea.”

Interesting points are that New Guinea is still called “a Mandated Territory;” and that the Bill is to be submitted to the Federal Labour Party Caucus instead of to the Australian Parliament.

The agreement under which New Guinea, instead of being held by Aus tralia under a Mandate from the now defunct League of Nations, will be held by Australia under Trusteeship from the United Nations, has not yet been ap proved by the Australian Parliament.

When it is accepted New Guinea will be come a Trusteeship Territory. Until then, absurd as it appears, it is still officially a Mandate. rE Government of Australia to-day is completely Socialistic. That is why a measure like this Bill, to pro vide for the Union of Papua and New Guinea, is submitted, not to the Common wealth Parliament, which is responsible to the people of Australia, but to a set-up like the industrial Unions, and their healers and hangers-on.

This Bill, like many other important Bills, after it has been shaped and ap proved by the Labour Party, will be sub mitted to the Commonwealth Parliament, not for consideration, but merely as a matter of form. The Commonwealth Parliament simply does what the Labour Party Caucus tells it to do, because the Labour Party has an overwhelming majority in both Houses. It is a system that is the negation of Democracy, and the despair of all freedom-loving people.

A good many people in Papua and New Guinea, officials and non-officials, had cherished the hope that it would have been found impossible to carry on the two Territories as one, in the manner that we have seen during the past two or three years. It was hoped that if individual Administrations were reverted to, some of the more undesirable features of the present set-up would have been got rid of, and the Legislative Councils would have been re-established so that non pfficial people might have had some voice in the Administration. It was hoped, also, that the well respected Leonard Murray might have returned to Papua as Administrator, to serve the remainder of his term—so ruthlessly terminated by Mr.

Ward and his bureaucratic and militar istic friends in 1942.

However, that was not to be expected.

Mr. Ward and his Socialistic set-up are there in Papua and New Guinea to stay, until they are removed by an electoral re volution in Australia. And that cannot happen before 1949.

Pessimistic View in the Territory

Rabaul. Nov. 29.

A LARM and regret was expressed in xl. Rabaul when the news arrived bv “SM Herald,” of November 26: “Legislation to establish an adminis trative union of the Territorv of Papua and the Mandated Territory of New

Guinea will be drafted for presentation to the Federal Parliamentary Labour Party.

“The bill will provide for one admin istrative head, one legislative body, and common services for the union, which will be called The Territory of Papua and New Guinea.

These decisions were made to-day by Australian Cabinet, acting on the recom mendation of the Minister for External Territories, Mr. Ward.”

It is questionable whether the Man datory Power can enforce such a decision, affecting, as it does, not only Europeans, but other nationalities bred and born

under the League of Nations Mandate.

Such a decision may have far-reaching effect by an appeal to the various consuls concerned.

If such legislation is carried there seems little hope for the future of the Man dated Territory. The Territory’s pre war prosperity—which made it self-sup porting—will never return, and it will be come the responsibility of the Australian tax payer to maintain, indefinitely, the Civil Administration and its Services.

This proposed legislation is another ex ample of Australian official ignorance of the economic potentialities of the Man dated Territory. It may result in a move to Diace facts before the Council of Non- Governing Countries, at Lake Success.