End Of Queer Wardist Regime In

Papua-New Guinea

And a Tribute to Colonel and Mrs. J. K. Murray

WITH the retirement of Colonel J. K. Murray, on June 30, there comes to an end a remarkable phase in the administration of Papua-New Guinea. There is in it a lesson for everyone interested in the government of a primitive* tro pical territory.

As a man, a responsible citizen and a scholar. Colonel Murray won for himself a high place in the regard of Territorians: within those limits, no Administrator there has been held in greater esteem. But as an Administrator, trying to re concile his humanitarian ideas and his stubborn political principles, with the raw facts of Papua-New Guinea conditions, he was not happy, either in his own mind or in the sight of spectators.

One of the most freakish things in the history of Australian Govern ment was the appointment of Mr.

E. J. Ward—that ornament of the extreme Left—as Minister for Territories. Ward probably had never even seen a coconut tree or a Melanesian; but (after the manner of all Socialist planners) he im mediately and confidently set about the creation of a new heaven and earth for Brown Brother, and the extermination of the vicious pro fiteers who had “enslaved” him.

The rest is history. Ward’s more active association with the Terri tories really ended when the Tim ber Lease Scandals forced him into a year’s savage defence of his Min isterial reputation and his connec tion with New Guinea. Although he was washed clean by the Royal Commissioner, it is not forgotten that it was Ward’s close companion ship with racketeer Jock Garden which brought about this, the most troublesome incident of his career.

VIZARD, in his unfamiliar Terri tories job, rightly decided that he should be assisted by a council of research and planning; but, in the manner typical of this queer politician, his set-up consisted en tirely of academicians of known

Socialistic inclinations—anthropolo

gists, students, legal luminaries, and what not. During the war period, with commissions ranging from colonel downwards, complete with priorities and emoluments, these people ranged all over Eastern Aus tralia and the Southwest Pacific, planning the new Melanesian Em

pire in Papua-New Guinea, for the liberation of Fuzzy-Wuzzy and the glory of Ward. There was not one proved business-man or one ex perienced Territorian among all the planners.

Most definitely, the original plan with which Ward proceeded to take over Papua-New Guinea from the Army had no provision in it for the encouragement of private en terprise. One Government set-up was to compulsorily acquire all the produce of the country, and be re sponsible for the distribution of all goods; another was to own and operate all shipping; the employ ment of natives was to be most rigidly controlled. Planters and miners were to be allowed to return to their properties, but under con ditions which would curb severely their nasty habit of making profits.

Nominally, the whole plan was based on the welfare of Papua-New Guinea natives. Actually, it simply was an example of how an imprac tical Red politician, given unlimited power, would set up the complete Socialist State.

TO implement this plan, Ward chose Jack Keith Murray, a Queensland Professor of Agriculture, who had come into Army organisa tion with the rank of Colonel. He was an active member of Ward’s Research Council and, when the first School of Pacific Administra tion was set up in Canberra to train personnel for the Islands, Murray was its first Principal. Murray is an academic Socialist and, when Ward sent him to Port Moresby to take charge of the Administration, he made no secret of his political views.

There was dirty work—not by J.

K. Murray—in order that this appointment could be made. When the Japs invaded in 1942, the Hon.

Leonard Murray was Administrator of Papua and, on the restoration of Civil Government, Leonard Mur ray was entitled to return to his job. Most surprisingly, Ward made against Leonard Murray some strange charges of failure to co operate with the military authori ties in the confused days of early 1942; and appointed a Royal Com missioner to inquire into the charges; and, when he got the latter’s re port, he pushed Leonard Murray in to retirement and thus cleared the way for a combined administration

id the introduction of J. K. Mur y.

Australian Socialists stayed - in office until the end of 1949, id Colonel Murray got a clear run r four or five years. The Terri ries picture was startlingly Red at st but, as Murray came face to ce with the hard facts of human lure and economic law, and Ward came preoccupied with the Timber :ase scandal, the roseate hues )wly faded out of Administration.

Colonel Murray is a man with a dl-trained mind and notable for icompromising honesty; and as ne passed and he found it im issible to reconcile his practical ex rience with his political principles, amended his principles. The adual change in administration was rceptible, over the years. Much of ? original trading plan was aban ned: the native labour conditions axed; and the attempt to make i-transport a State monopoly was own overboard.

ATE in 1949, the Australian 1 Socialist Government was voted t; and Mr, Spender took over rritories with a policy that was finitely anti-Socialist and pro vate enterprise. But Mr. Spen ds eager plans and promises were mted on the non-co-operative >nt and slow-moving machinery the P-NG Administration. >lonel Murray may have learned the hard way—much of the tility of academic Socialism; but donel Murray is a very stubborn in, and he had around him a mber of officials who had gone New Guinea with him, with ailar ideas. The Spender plans >bbled and sagged.

An explosion in Canberra was waited. It did not come. The zzle was explained when it be me known that one of Ward’s t acts before leaving office in 49 was to appoint Colonel Mur / to the Administratorship for e years. There was a stalemate for months while some important ngs happened, at the highest r el. , The frustrated Mr. Spender went into diplomacy, and Mr. Paul isluck became Minister. Mr. Reg. illigan moved up a couple of ps to another field, and the corn tent Mr. Lambert became the De rtment’s Secretary. Mr. D. M. eland, with a remarkable reputa n as an organiser and director tough jobs (including the Terri ies) became Assistant Adminis ter.

Thenceforward, at an accelerating tempo, there were developments of importance in P NG, especially in the direction of encouraging private enterprise to go in there to establish new industries.

So far, there seems to be too much talk and not enough practical ac tion—too many busy planners mak ing reports and shaping theories, and not enough of those hardworking, hardboiled lads who must follow the profit motive if any real pioneering is to be done—but that is another story.

Colonel Murray’s decision to re tire now, two years before his term expires, is an honest and logical de cision, If New Guinea’s position, in relation to Australia, had been the same now as it was in 1945, Colonel Murray might have justi fied his retention of office, however embarrassing to the new Ministers, He went to New Guinea to put limits on private enterprise and ad vance the welfare of the natives

md, whatever we might think of lis viewpoint and his methods, he ;ould have claimed the right to :arry on his job for the full term.

BUT the whole outlook has changed since 1945. The rise >f the Communist power, the rapid pread of the Red doctrines across Vsia, have created for Australia a ituation in which New Guinea must >e regarded as the South Pacific’s irincipal barrier against aggression —and all considerations must be übordinated to that.

Natives must be trained and new ndustries must be established for he encouragement of European ettlement, so that we may have, n New Guinea, an economy cal ulated to support a strong defen ive organisation. That envisages ;ovemmental policies and an ad ministrative set-up different to those /hich Colonel Murray took to P 'IG in 1945; and in now retiring rom a field that has been altered irofoundly by the Cold War, Colonel Murray acts in accordance vith the high principles and the lonesty which have distinguished im.

For the Ward set-up, which in reduced Colonel Murray to New Juinea, anti-Socialist critics (among /horn we number ourselves) have othing but dislike and contempt; ut Colonel and Mrs. J. K. Murray, 'ho undertook a difficult job at a lost difficult time and did not spare lemselves in carrying out their uty as they saw it, retire with the nqualified respect and personal king of practically every resident f Papua-New Guinea.