Pulling Australia’S New Guinea Leg

Communist Larrikins at Trustee Council

C COMMUNIST delegates enjoyed them ) selves very much, at Australia’s ex pense, at the Trusteeship Council meeting, at UNO headquarters, in the early part of July.

We, who know New Guinea, sometimes criticise the Australian Government for spending far too much time, effort and money on the primitive Melanesians of Papua and New Guinea, instead of giving more thought to the welfare of the Euro peans domiciled there. It is amusing to read of Australia defending herself against charges that she does not do enough!

The Russian delegate condemned Aus tralia’s administration of the territories in general. He said Australia had taken no steps to give the natives a share in administration: that Australia’s adminis trative union of Papua and New Guinea was incompatible with the basic aims and ends of the United Nations; that both the goldmining and plantation industries were completely in the hands of Australian companies, which “received enormous profits by exploiting the inhabitants.”

He urged the abolition of all alleged discriminatory measures against the native population and the provision of more money for education and health.

The Russian delegate was Mr. A. A.

Soldatov, a mischievous type who spent some time at the Soviet Embassy in Can berra, and evidently collected just enough information there about New Guinea to give himself a nuisance value, and annoy the Australians.

The Filipino and Chinese delegates also criticised the Australian administration— on racial grounds, of course. The Filipino urged that the policy of peaceful penetra tion be revised; that more native officials be used in the administration; that native councils be given more authority; and that indentured labour, corporal punishment, and racial discrimination be abolished, and the tax system revised.

The Chinese said that the White Aus tralia policy was being applied to New Guinea.

The Australian representative, Mr. John Hood, defended and explained the Aus tralian policy and activities in Papua-New

Guinea, and pointed out that “this is the most primitive of all territories held under trust,” and that the admission of natives to self-government could take place only gradually. He said the Russian’s picture of native living conditions was “highly extreme and unwarranted.”

Britain, France, New Zealand and Belgium defended the Australian adminis tration.

The Council’s criticism of Australian administration in Nauru is referred to elsewhere.

It is time that Australia grew up, and refused to allow the Communists thus to harass and annoy her at the Trusteeship Council, and, generally, pull her leg.

LATER; It was announced on July 14 that a Trusteeship Council delegation is coming soon to inspect New Guinea and Nauru.