Fire

Mr. Ward Under

Papua-N. Guinea Administration

IT was reported in Sydney in August that the Australian Territories Min ister (Mr. Ward) proposed to make a quick visit to Papua and New Guinea, where many urgent matters await his at tention. The visit was not made, how ever; the Australian Parliament is in session; and the Australian general elec tion campaign follows immediately.

Election day is December 10.

A Ministerial visit, therefore, need not be expected before December 10. And, if the Australian electors think that way, the Ministerial visit then will not be made by Mr. Ward.

There are indications that Papua-New Guinea affairs will receive considerable attention in this last session of the Aus tralian Parliament.

The renort of the Royal Commission in to the New Guinea Timber Leases was debated in the House on September 7; and, in the course of some hours, most of the leading men on the Opposition side had something scathing to say about Mr.

Ward’s administration of the Department of External Territories. There was nothing new or startling in the debate, however —the facts are all familiar to resi dents of the Territories. The Deputy Leader of the Liberals, Mr. Harrison, made a strong plea for an inquiry into the ad ministration of the Department, but this was brushed aside by the Government majority.

Mr. Ward was defended fiercely by the Minister for Immigration (Mr. Calwell)

who said that, “perhaps the best indication as to the Minister’s integrity in finan cial matters can be found in the fact that throughout the whole of 1948 continuous efforts were made to unearth material to be used to de stroy him, but without suc cess.”