P-NG Machinery Out of Gear?

Gear?

Remarkable Case of Police

Superintendent Steeples

|NE of the most remarkable cases f in the administrative history of Papua-New Guinea is that Mr. Ernest Steeples, high police Beer. One correspondent says: 'he case is an example of rank justice being supported by re ote technicalities and fumbling ireaucracy.”

Steeples arrived in New Guinea May, 1927, with rank of Warrant Bficer; gave good service under Idfields pioneering conditions; id on January 28, 1931, was pointed Inspector in Charge of ibaul Police District.

He was the only commissioned lice officer to return after World ar 11, and he did a good job of irganisation in Moresby, Lae and au. In 1947, he was given the nk of Acting Superintendent, hen Colonel Grimshaw took arge as Police Commissioner he, May, 1951, transferred Steeples Moresby, to take charge there, izette 17, of March 20, 1952, an unced his provisional promotion im Inspector to Superintendent.

A junior officer, named Racke m, who had come from the leensland police and had had 2i ars’ service around Moresby, pealed against the promotion of eeples on the grounds of “superior iciency.” Steeples treated the de lopment with contempt. He had en away on sick leave when the iblic Service Ordinance was zetted, and he apparently did not iow that if an officer is appealed ainst, he then must appeal against I officers junior to himself. Even he had appreciated the position, is doubtful whether he would ive acted, so certain were he and s associates that his 25 years’ cord of unblemished service would pport his promotion.

To the amazement of many ople, the Public Service Com issioner and the Promotions )peals Committee ruled against ;eeples; which appeared to put ickeman next in police authority the Commissioner.

IHEN ensued a series of events which are beyond the com prehension of an ordinary lay an. Steeples apparently got legal [vice and decided to fight. An her junior police officer, named len, also appealed against Steeples’ ■emotion on the grounds of perior efficiency. Steeples chal nged the authority of the Appeals sard, on the ground that as a ember of the original New Guinea slice Force he was not a member the Public Service. Then he ent to the Supreme Court for a rit of prohibition.

In a long judgment, Acting Judge Gore appeared to accept the legality of Steeples’ claims; but threw a bombshell by saying that he had been given no evidence that Steeples was a commissioned officer of the NG Police Force. He there fore found against Steeples (who meanwhile had been stationed at Rabaul).

That started a legal earthquake.

If Steeples was not a commissioned officer, then many court decisions in cases where he had been the prosecutor were invalidated. First reaction was seen when the case of Bougainville Company against Cap tain Coyne was thrown out because Steeples had no standing in the court.

Things were becoming desperately mixed. Moresby radio’d Steeples to go there and see the Public Ser vice Commissioner immediately, and he left Rabaul on December 18.

There has been frantic searching through records to establish the legality of Steeples’ original appoint ments as a commissioned officer.

After Mr. Steeples left Rabaul for Moresby, on December 18, Mrs.

Steeples found a copy of Steeples’ oath of service, given at Lae on November 22, 1949. This is regarded as a vital missing link in the legal tangle.

Meanwhile, all the older Public Servants are curious to know some thing of the reasons which induced a sober body of men to adjudge an official with 21 years’ Territory service to have “superior efficiency” over another official with a clean record of 25 years’ service.

Some of the events on the justice public service commission side of the P-NG Administration in recent years suggest that it is about time that high authority had a look over the machinery. Is it top-heavy, or is it merely out of gear?

A memorial will be erected on Norfolk Island to Captain James Cook, who discovered the island on October 10, 1774.