South-West Groups May Go To Australia

British Interests In New Hebrides and Solomons

THERE are indications that, probably at an early date, the Prime Minister of Australia will announce an im portant change in the Administration of the New Hebrides and, perhaps, in the British Solomon Islands.

It seems certain that Britain’s adminis trative responsibility in the Condominium (the New Hebrides are governed jointly by Britain and France) will be transferred to Australia, with the consent of France. It is believed in some quarters that at the same time Australia will take over the administration of the British Solomon Islands—but the indications here are not so clear.

When the Australian Minister, Mr.

Spender, took over the two portfolios of External Affairs and External Territories, early in 1950, he displayed a keen interest in what is called Australia’s arc of defensive Islands.

Asia is regarded as a menace to the future security of Australia. What Asia can do was demonstrated in 1941-45 by Japan, whose forces came within sight of the Australian coast. The Japanese were held by the joint forces of America and Australia in the defensive arc of Islands— Timor, Dutch New Guinea, Australian New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago and the Solomon Islands. The incidents of 1941-45 proved the importance of the Solomon Islands in an Australian scheme of defence.

Japan was defeated, but there now is even greater danger in the development of Communism (or Red Russian) power in Asia.

MR. SPENDER, in 1950, made it clear that he was deeply interested in the Islands as a defensive barrier. He spent some time in New Guinea, and then he visited the British Solomon Islands, the New Hebrides and New Caledonia on his way home.

The British Colonial Office is responsible, through the Western Pacific High Com mission, for the government of the Solomons. Jointly with France, it is similarly responsible for the New Hebrides.

The administration in both the Solomons and the New Hebrides never has been of the vigorous colonial type—in fact, it has been feeble, and more or less of a token character.

While Britain has held these adminis trative responsibilities in the Solomons and New Hebrides, the economy of the two archipelagos has been dominated by Aus tralian interests—shared, in the case of New Hebrides, with the French. Australian currency is dominant in both Territories.

In the view of the new Australian Gov ernment, it was desirable that Australian administration should be extended from New Guinea eastwards into the Solomons and the New Hebrides, if Australia were to

create in the defensive arc of Islands the defence organisation which all Australians properly consider necessary. That was why conversations in relation to these matters were initiated in London and in Paris, by Mr. Spender, during his lengthy visit to Europe in 1950.

As is indicated by an article from our Paris correspondent, published elsewhere in this issue, that conversations in Paris have gone quite a long way; and France has stated her readiness to accept the transfer of New Hebrides responsibilities from Britain to Australia.

Furthermore, in recent issues of Aus tralian newspapers there have been several hints of pending changes in both New Hebrides and Solomons.

Recent Transfers To Honiara

IN relation to the Solomons, these signs of a possible change are countered somewhat by recent important moves by the High Commission of the Western Pacific (which for many years has had its headquarters in Suva).

It has just been announced that the new Shipping Department of the Commission, which now is under the direction of Captain Jack Webster, and which services the Territories of the Solomons and the Gilbert and Ellice Islands, is now being transferred from Suva to Honiara (ad ministrative centre of the Solomons). It is also reported—although there does not seem to be any official confirmation—that another important Department of the Commission—namely, the Treasury—is being similarly transferred from Suva to Honiara.

These reports do not suggest that the Western Pacific Commission expects to shed its responsibility for the Solomons.

On the other hand, it is quite probable that conversations at high levels have pro ceeded between Britain and Australia, and that the High Commissioner for the Western Pacific has not been officially advised of same. Such things have happened.

Obviously, if Australia becomes re sponsible for the Solomons as well as for the New Hebrides, the reason for the existence of the Western Pacific High Commission will disappear. All that would remain then of the Commission’s Terri tories would be the economically unim portant Gilbert and Ellice Islands, and Pitcairn Island. It would indeed be a Hamlet without the Ghost.

The situation no doubt will be clarified by an official announcement at an early date. Perhaps opportunity will be taken, in connection with the completion of a Pacific Defence Pact between the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Philippines, to alter the administration machinery in a number of these South Pacific Territories. A general tidying-up is long overdue. (Further comments on this development in an article on page 5)