Deputy-Administrators
p. 115 · Read in the full issue
Wanted For Papua-New Guinea
THE following advertisement appeared
in Australian newspapers recently:—
Two Deputy Administrators are to be appointed to the administration of the Terri tory of Papua and New Guinea, and appli cations are invited from persons desirous of being 1 considered for such appointments.
Appointment will be open to persons both within and without the Public Service of Papua and New Guinea.
Salary to be fixed between £2,000 and £2,500 per annum, plus entertainment allowance. (The Income Tax Assessment Act does not apply to any income derived by residents of the Territory from sources within the Terri tory.) The Deputy Administrators will be required to assist the Administrator in all phases of administration. Appointees may be stationed in any part of the Territory.
Applicants should have good organising and administrative capacity. Experience in Gov ernmental administration and particularly in the administration of tropical areas would be an advantage.
Applications accompanied by copies only of references, stating full name, date and place of birth, marital state, experience, quali fications and war service (if any) should "be submitted by October 27, 1950, to the Secre tary, Department of External Territories, Canberra, ACT.
Ter.ritorians may be pardoned if they
wonder why it should be necessary to advertise in Australia for such men. It has, of course, always been the practice of Australian governments to give the job of administrator of any external territory to a defeated politician or some other person who has found favour in the sight
of the current government. Whether or not they have had any experience in administering tropical territories has mattered little, if at all.
It should not be necessary to go further than the top ranks of the present Public Service of Papua-New Guinea to find the men fitted to fill these jobs. It might even be beneficial if experienced Terri torians from wicked private enterprise could be persuaded to take on these jobs.
Major H. W. S. Jackson, of the Aus tralian Army recently returned to Mel bourne after several weeks in Borneo where he paid out several thousands of pounds to 100 natives (or their widows) who had helped Australian soldiers during the notorious Sandakan death march. The natives were paid in Straits dollars. Major Jackson’s efforts to trace some native families took him as far as Malaya.