Wilkinson Had

To Pay

His Own Fare Home!

Because of a muddle th probably will make legal hlstc in Papua-New Guinea, Lau Wilkinson was released from B mana Gaol, Port Moresby, December 22.

A judge found Wilkinson guilty theft (or some such crime) a: sentenced him to 18 months’ ga Anotner judge, dealing with exaci the same charge and the sai circumstances, said the accused not guilty. One of the judges w wrong, it could have been Wilki son’s judge.

Furthermore, public opinion h< that, even if the first judge w right, the sentence of 18 monti gaol, on a first offender, a we known citizen and an aircrewm with a good war record, was sava and difficult to justify.

The Administrator, Colonel J.

Murray, accepted these points view. He reduced Wilkinson’s se tence from 18 to four months.

Wilkinson was tried and sentenc in Samarai. The Administrati officials, at Administration cc conveyed him from Samarai to P< Moresby, for imprisonment.

When he was released, on Dece] ber 22, they simply put him outsi the door of the gaol. He had to fi his own way, at his own cost, ba from Moresby to his home Samarai.

There is an expressive Australi word—not a nice word—to descr; that kind of thing. It can applied, in full measure, to the li act of the Administration in relati to Wilkinson.

Mr. Wilkinson writes to say th as soon as he can get the time a money, he will apply himself to t task of trying to clear his name the stigma of recent events. ' returned home to find his tradi business more or less shattered, a his two boats broken down. B habilitation is taking all his til and energy.

He will learn that he has lit hope of “clearing his name.” Tl vicious system they have in P-N of compelling a judge to act as be judge and jury makes it practica impossible for him to either ha that conviction quashed, or ma the Administration pay damages i wrongful imprisonment.

Philosophically, Mr. Wilkins writes that being a convict criminal “ gives a man a quite d: tinctive feeling.”

“I am reminded.” he says, “of incident in the old Macdhui, on o occasion, in Port Moresby. A fello passenger was ejected from t saloon on the ground that he w drunk, and disorderly, and doi mad things. He indignantly pr duced a discharge from a menl hospital on the ground that he w no longer mad; and he challeng any of us to similarly produ

ydence that we were sane . . . am in a somewhat similar osition but, frankly, I would ather have been without the ecessity for seeking His Honour’s ardon.”