British West Pacific Commission

Reported Move to the Solomons

ALTHOUGH no official announcement has been made, it is common know ledge that the Headquarters of the High Commission of the Western Pacific are being transferred from Suva to Honiara (British Solomon Islands); that Mr. C. D. Chamberlain, Secretary of the Commission, is going to Honiara as the new Commissioner; and that, with the retirement shortly of Sir Brian Freeston, the old arrangement, under which the Governor of Fiji has been High Commis sioner for Western Pacific, will come to an end.

For at least 50 years, the British Colonial Office, through the Commission, established in Fiji, has been responsible for— • Administration of Protectorate of British Solomon Islands. • Administration of British Colony of Gilbert and Ellice Islands. • British share of the Administration of Condominium of New Hebrides. • British representation in the King dom of Tonga. • Pitcairn Island (a recent arrange ment) .

It always has been regarded as an awkward, sprawling administration, its difficulties added to by the facts that all the areas referred to are economically un important, and that transport and com munication represent a first-class problem.

Since the war, those difficulties have become more acute. Solomons and Gilberts suffered extensive war damage, but got no compensation; the British Socialist Government would not encourage the big trading firms to re-establish their busi nesses (which partly solved the transport problem); and. finally, the Government itself proceeded to provide trading, trans port and communication facilities—at a heavy cost, which the British taxpayer pays.

For the past three or four years, there has been much criticism of the High Com mission’s activities by the Europeans af fected—especially planters and traders.

Finally, it became known that Australia —acting in relation to defence (see article elsewhere)—had discussed with Britain and France the feasibility of taking over

British responsibilities in Solomons anc New Hebrides.

This so obviously provided a means bj which the British Colonial Office coulc rid itself of one of its worst headache: that it was generally assumed that the change would take place soon. Being ric of Solomons and Hebrides, Britain easilj could dispose of the useless Gilbert anc Ellice Colony, Pitcairn, and the Tongar Consulate —probably by tacking them on to Fiji. Britain then could save a lo* of money by closing up the cumbersome costly and generally inefficient High Com mission for the Western Pacific.

Therefore, the report that WPHC i: being reorganised and transferred to th« little jungle capital of the Solomons wa; received with surprise in Australia, I seems certain that the British section 01 New Hebrides is going to Australia, and logically, Solomons should go, too.

Disabilities At Honiara

The decision to put the WPHC estab lishment at Honiara is even more sur prising. The basis of Solomons and G and E. communications is wholly seai transport—the archipelagoes are far to* poor to afford airways. The Commissior if it is to do its own trading and shipping chores and defy the big firms, must owi and operate a big fleet of little ships. Thi ships want a sheltered port, and plent;. of docking and workshop facilities. The; will not get any of those facilities a Honiara, except at very heavy cost.

Tulagi, 25 miles away, would have beei a different proposition. But officialdom in 1945, insisted on abandoning that ex: cellent port in order that it could develoi an agricultural project, and so that i might have a few miles of road on whid to run the numerous jeeps it inherited from the war. The jeeps now are mostll worn out, the war-time bridges am wharves are mostly collapsed—and Gua dalcanal has as much jungle on it as eve: Australian governmental planners in thi Solomons can be just as stupid and vision less as the British variety. But at leas Australia definitely would have a reason for taking over the Solomons. One cannc see what purpose the British can serv by hanging on to the “Cinderella Terri tory.”