Why Mr. Richards?

Another Political Appointment to Island Administration?

r was reported from Canberra on October 10 that Mr. R. S. Richards, Leader of the Socialist Opposition in 3 South Australian Parliament, is likely be appointed Administrator of Nauru, tere were 240 applicants for the £1,500 job. The appointment has to be ap jved by Britain and New Zealand, who ; jointly responsible with Australia for s Administration.

Editorial Note

|R. RICHARDS may be South Aus- L tralia’s most worthy citizen. We know nothing about him, except that was originally a miner and carpenter, 1 he went into the State Parliament by ; usual channel of the Trades Hall, ere is nothing on record to show that knows the first thing about tropical ninistration.

I large proportion of Australia’s public ces, from the Governor-General down rds, have been filled by Socialist Party cgers-on—undistinguished Party hacks, ifessional politicians and rejected Par nentarians, whose only claim to ap ntment is their unswerving lovaltv to i Party machine. t is bad enough to see such people in vernorships, Consular jobs, Commis nerships, and so forth. It is literally cening to see the same foul system ap jd to the major appointments in the nfic Islands.

Vithin the public services of the Aus lian Territories there are scores of 1-educated men, who have brought a cial aptitude and half a lifetime of Lning to the difficult job of governing tropical regions for which Australia responsible. Either as heads of De tments or as District Officers, they rn the tricky and difficult task of ad listration; and they surely are itled to expect that, when Adminis torships become vacant, they shall re first refusal. Yet, for 20 years, their ims have been consistently passed over, .ally in favour of some out-of-work )our politician, military officer or listerial favourite.

Ixcept in three cases (General Griffith.

New Guinea, in 1932; Captain B. R. ney, in Norfolk Island, in 1932, and . Ridgway, in Nauru, in 1946) we can recollect one appointment to a major ninistrative position in the Islands, ing the last 20 years, where the ap ntee had had any previous training in pical administration—or, indeed, I any obvious qualifications for the t.

'here can be only two explanations: ber the Territories services are lentably short of capable men; or lalism’s policy of “Spoils to the Vic influences all of these Islands jointments. We can say, most de tely, that the first alternative is not explanation. There are a dozen men the Papua-New Guinea public service, lay, who are completely capable of ng any tropical Administratorship hin the gift of the Canberra politi cs.

Ve can also say that the Canberra tern of selecting Labour Party hacks skilled jobs is not only completely dis lest—it also is most disheartening for Territory services men who have sn of their best.