South Pacific Commission

Preparing Sydney-Noumea Move In January

PLANS are being made for the removal of the headquarters of the South Pacific Commission, from Sydney to Noumea, late in January, and for the establishment there to be complete in time for the next session of the Com mission, in April or May, 1949.

The Secretary-General. Mr. W. D.

Forsyth, accompanied by Mr. J. Ryan, a temporary member of his staff, visited Noumea in November and inspected the Pentagon building. Arrangements were made for necessary alterations to be put in hand forthwith.

There is space in Pentagon not only for offices —there is plenty of room also to provide comfortable living quarters for personnel. There will be a headquarters staff, and also a large travelling staff under the direction of the Research Coun cil; and one of the Commission’s first problems will be the provision of accom modation for these people in Noumea.

The expenditure of a few thousand pounds now, in providing nlain accom modation and sound messing arrange ments in the Pentagon itself probably would do much to ensure the future suc cess of the new organisation.

Mr. H. E. Maude, the Deputy Secretary General, will arrive in Sydney at the end of December, from the Gilbert Islands.

Until he has had an opportunity of con ferring with his Deputy and the officers of the Research Council. Mr. Forsyth is taking no steps to fill the minor positions on his staff.

The chief officials of the Commission hope to have completed the transfer to Noumea at the end of January, in time to allow them to proceed in February to New Zealand, to attend there the forth coming Pacific Science Congress.

Question Asked in NZ

“lITHY was Noumea chosen in preference Tf to Suva as headquarters for the South Pacific Commission?” asked Mr. F. W. Doidge, MP, in New Zealand’s Parliament on November 26.

Mr. Doidge said it was understandable that France, the Netherlands, and per haps the United States of America favoured Noumea; but the decision savoured of an Anti-British bias, and he would like to know where Australia and New Zealand stood when the selection was made. It was highly desirable thqt the headquarters should be on British territory, and that it should be at Suva rather than at Noumea.

Mr. Nash (acting Prime Minister) said that the New Zealand representative had voted for Suva. The Commission had sent a party to inspect proposed sites for head quarters at Sydney, Brisbane, Noumea, Suva and Pago Pago and it was reported that Noumea would provide the best place from which the commission could operate.

The Australian representative had voted for Suva. The New Zealand Government was concerned at the choice of head quarters, but he thought the French would do a good job. The necessary buildings were already in Noumea.

EDITORIAL NOTE: We must accept the Acting Prime Minister’s statement, of course; but our information, which came from a usually reliable source, definitely was that Australia voted for Noumea.