Where Are Our Defences Against Red Asia?

HE extreme political unrest of the Oriental world is reach ing down through Indonesia, i almost touching Australia. n the last few weeks, these tigs have happened: China, iting the Western nations in rea. is beginning to disclose rming air power. The Reds have ipleted the invasion of Tibet, I have been involved in a revo on in Siam. The Red-inspired ellions in Malaya and Indo na have worsened. The anti tish trouble in Persia is build up to another outburst. There growing restlessness in Iraq, ia, Lebanon, Israel. Egypt is king itself up into war with tain. Turkey has been solemnly ned against the West by Russia. fe here are immediately con ned with events in the New nea-Indonesia area. Since the toval of the Dutch, there has a steady spcial, political and aomic deterioration throughout onesia. It is manifesting itself •evolt in some of the archipela 3, and that revolt is bound to ime worse. he Indonesian Government, 'ever remains vociferous and tically aggressive. One day it 5 to Australia; next day,’ it seches at us all because Aus ia is said to be friendly to the ch m Western New Guinea, he Dutch, holding the Western ;> to co-operate with the '‘Sh. holding the Eastern half, •he development of New Guinea,

the world s biggest island, and one of the richest. It is quite a sound idea. The arrival in Port Moresby, the other day, of the Governor of Dutch New Guinea, with some of his high officials, for friendly talks, seemed a proper and logical thing, AUSTRALIA’S “Foreign” Minis ter, Mr .Casey, visited The Hague in November. He was reported by the New York Times to have spoken in favour of an economic union between Dutch and Australian New Guinea.

There seemed to be nothing wrong with that. But before the Indonesians could start howling, Prime Minister Menzies hurried out a flat denial of the report; and Mr.

Casey, now in London, also issued a contradiction. But the Indone sians howled, just the same.

The New York Times, which is not a sensation-monger and is generally reliable, said that Aus tralia was most anxious, for defence reasons, that the Dutch should hold West New Guinea firmly against the Indonesians; and Mr. Casey had undertaken that Australia would, if necessary, support the Dutch in their stand. The newspaper said Mr. Casey’s proposals included: • A joint Australian-Dutch air and sea patrol around New Guinea. • Australian aid in re-building Dutch New Guinea airfields which the United States built in the war. • Economic co-operation in de veloping Dutch New» Guinea’s natural resources.

The reader may assess the pro babilities for himself. This writer hopes that the New York Times is right.

Why should the Australian poli tical leaders worry about the feel ings of the Indonesians, whose political ineptitude is creating, every day, a wider channel for the ultimate approach of the Asiatic Reds to Australia, and all the lands of the South Pacific?

A map which accompanied an in teresting article in Sydney Daily Telegraph on November 18 showed that the great air-sea base at Manus—now steadily coming back into effective occupation by American as well as Australian forces—is within 2,600 miles of Japan, Hong Kong, and all In donesia. The strategic importance of Manus, in relation to New Guinea and Indonesia, cannot be exaggerated.

WHEN the Dutch New Guinea Governor, Mr, S. L. J. van Waardenburg. was in Port Moresby recently, he said the Dutch Government has provided Dutch New Guinea with a 3 per cent, loan of 40 million guilders; and there would be a lot more money for the development of the Territory if its political status could be fixed. The new loan will be used for the build ing of communications, and especially ports at Hollandia, Merauke and Sorong.

When an Australian Socialist Government connived at the re moval of the Americans from Manus, and the Dutch from In donesia. it did Australia and the South Pacific countries a disservice that can be measured only in terms

of history. Maybe, an Australian anti-Socialist Government can undo some of that harm by establishing the Dutch in Western New Guinea, and encouraging the return of the Americans to Manus.

Australian and New Zealand Mlnisters are always ready to talk platitudes about their planning in certain limited sections of the Pacific. ;But when they are asked

to express a clear-cut over-all policy in relation to a vital thing like the defence of the South Pacific against the mounting power of Red Asia, they run like scared rabbits. It would be, for us in the South Pacific, a very dis heartening picture, if it were not for the growing strength and firm ness of the Americans in the North Pacific.

Legislative Council Breaks Down Official Reticences

IN its issues of Nov. 30 and Dec. 7, the South Pacific Post, of Port Moresby, did an excellent job of reporting the sessions of the new Legislative Council, which was for mally opened on November 26.

This was the first time that all classes in the Territory—and es pecially the non-official Europeans —had had an opportunity of really getting face-to-face with the Ad ministrator and his Departmental heads, in a survey of Territories affairs.

As a result suggestions were offered, criticisms made and ques tions asked on a generous scale; and for once, from behind the iron cur tain of official reticence, there flowed a stream of information such as P-NG has rarely experienced.

Most of it was real news.

The Moresby newspaper, very wisely, dropped all else and con

centrated on reporting the Council discussions; with the result that the Territories got the best budget of information on matters which concern them personally, which they had had since the war.

If this system is followed —frank discussions at the Legislative Council, and adequate reporting of same—much of the savage discon tent that has been manifested against the Administration will tend to disappear.

Residents, with a better under standing of the Administration’s problems, will be more tolerant.

Officialdom, realising that it is to be subjected to merciless question ing at Council meetings, will be more inclined to hurry matters along to decision and action.

An alert Council, plus good news paper service, should be of real benefit to the war-battered Territories.