No Inquiry On

N. Guinea

Mr. White's Motion Killed

By Party Vote

ON a party division, by 35 to 25, the Australian House of Representatives, on 4, rejected the following motion by Mr. T. W. White: That a Joint Select Committee be appointed to inquire into and report upon the following:— (a) the inadequacy of the administration which has been set up under the New Guinea Act; (b) the failure of the administration to main tain production of essential commodities; (c) the lack of a policy for the economic development of the Territories which could proceed hand in hand with a progressive native policy: (d) the unbalanced native policy and its adverse effect upon the natives and upon economic development; and (e) the unrest which exists in the Public Service in the Territories due to unsettled conditions and the failure of the Govern ment to provide suitable living conditions, adequate classification, and to deal with the high cost of living.

The motion was originally moved many months ago, and the debate was ad journed on October 2.

Mr. White, and several other speakers who supported him, then made out a clear case for inquiry by a select com mittee; but the Government, using its big majority, simply ignored the argu ments then presented and accepted the statements of the Minister for External Territories (Mr. Ward) that the condi tions in the Territories were good, and improving; that all the complaints came from disgruntled private enterprise and “vested interests”: and there were no evils to be inquired into.

Mr. White carried on the debate on March 4, and delivered a lively, vigorous speech, in which he again pressed for a general inquiry into conditions in the two Territories. He emphasised that, as the Commonwealth Government was in different to the voteless people in the Territories, the Territories had become the plaything of a Socialist Minister: that they had been arbitrarily deprived of their onlv mouthpiece—the Legislative Councils: that the Minister’s activities had practically destroyed the native labour force, and had contributed noth ing to the re-establishment of the plant ing and mining industries —which in the case of TNG alone, pre-war gave exports worth £3,000,000 per annum; that, owing to the absence of medical services, there had been heavy mortality in some dis tricts (especially Tabar Islands and the Bainings); that copra producers were being robbed, and several planters were making preparations to leave the coun try; that men with little knowledge or experience of the country were being ap nointed to high administrative posts; and that any criticism of these conditions were always met by the Minister with a blast of abuse.

Mr. White read various letters from residents of the Territories to support his statements that absence of adequate transport and labour was crippling enter prise.

The Minister did not reply, and the motion was put and defeated.