Hon. E. J. Ward

Early Tour of Territories Now Unlikely

IT had been reported that the Australian Minister for External Territories, Mr.

Ward, may visit Port Moresby on February 18 and there meet a large number of Administration officials, who have been called from various districts to Port Moresby for consultation. This is now stated, officially, as unlikely.

Mr. Ward’s plans to make a tour of Papua and New Guinea in January were dislocated by his obligation to attend the enquiry into the Garden timber-lease matter, which did not finish until early February.

Mr. Ward is also obliged to be present in Canberra on February 18 for the opening of Parliament. The trial of Garden may come on any time after March 1.

The Administrator of New Guinea, Colonel J. K. Murray, arrived in Sydney on February 12 for consultation with Mr.

Ward, and is expected to return to Port Moresby on February 18.

It is probable that he will then meet a conference of District Services officials.

It is reported that one of the matters to which the Minister is giving particular attention, in consultation with his De partmental and Administration officials, is the formal acceptance by the Australian Parliament of the Trusteeship Agreement in relation to New Guinea.

This is a double-barrelled plan. It pro vides for the transfer of the New Guinea Mandate from the now defunct League of Nations to the Trusteeship Council of the United Nations (already accepted by ttnO) and it is also proposed at the same time to create one permanent Adminis tration for the Trustee Territory of New Guinea and Australian Territory of Papua.