R. S. Leydin For Nauru

Job

Man Who Helped Mrs, Poetrv

PACIFIC Islands administration is to have a direct link with the world-shaking Petrov affair.

The Secretary of the Northern Territory Administration, Mr.

Reginald Sylvester Leydin, OBE, has been appointed Administrator of Nauru, as from July 1 next.

He is 49, and his lengthy experi ence in Territorial administration has been all gained in Northern Territory. He went there in 1926 as a junior clerk, and for many years his official job was Town Clerk of Darwin. From 1942 to 1946 he served with the RAAF in Aus tralia, Pacific Islands and Singa pore, and reached the rank of Squadron Leader. He became Ad ministration Secretary when Mr.

Lambert became Secretary of the Territories Department. Thereafter, Mr. Leydin acted on occasions as Administrator. Hi s outstanding qualities earned him the OBE in 1953. His selection for the Nauru post was made some time ago, but it had to be confirmed by United Kingdom and New Zealand, which are jointly responsible with Aus tralia for Nauru.

IT was during this period of wait ing that Mr. Leydin came into prominence in connection with the Petrov affair, which has visibly shaken the world’s international relationships.

RUSSIA sent two couriers to Australia to take Mrs. Petrov back to Moscow, and away from her husband, who had sought political asylum in Australia. Photo graphs of these thug-like couriers literally dragging Mrs. Petrov across the airfield at Mascot, Syd-

ney, to a waiting plane, greatly shocked the Western world; and the Australian Prime Minister issued instructions that, if possible, Mrs. Petrov be given an opportunity, before leaving Darwin airport, of saying whether she sought political asylum in Australia.

In Darwin, Mr. Leydin, as Acting Administrator, took charge of an extremely delicate situation and, while the plane was waiting, handled it in such a way that Mrs.

Petrov was given a chance to de clare her wishes. Whereupon, to the joy of the free world, and the manifest discomfiture of the Musco vite Reds, she elected to remain in Australia with her husband. In the course of the Darwin incident the Darwin police, under Mr.

Leydin’s directions, relieved the courier-thugs of their loaded re volvers.

Mrs. Petrov later joined her hus band, at some unknown address in Australia, where she now is assist ing him in giving to Australia dis closures of the Communist world’s spy organisation that are likely tn become more and more sensational.

As one consequence of this, Russia has broken off diplomatic relations with Australia.

Mr. Leydin, in consequence has received a great deal of favourable publicity. The Australian Prime Minister, however, says this had nothing to do with his selection for Nauru—the latter had been made several weeks earlier.

Some two years ago, when the Labour Government appointee (Mr.

T. Richards) retired from Nauru, Mr. J. K. Lawrence, of the Com monwealth Audit Office —who hap pened to be in Nauru at the time — was appointed temporarily; and then his appointment was extended to June 30, 1954. The Minister has paid tribute to Mr. Lawrence’s work; but neither the Minister nor any one else has explained why an Audit officer was selected for this work, in this way.

Trained Official Gets Job

At Last

Territories Administration officials generally were glad to note that Canberra at last had broken the vicious system of selecting “out siders,” instead of trained Admin istration men, for these minor Ad ministratorships. Except for the selection of Captain C. R. Pinney (for the Norfolk Island post, some 20 years ago) Canberra almost always has handed the jobs (high in status and emoluments, and easy in responsibility) to some retired military officer or political favourite, and ignored the obvious claims of the senior Administration officials.

Former residents of Fiji now resident in Sydney are to entertain the managers of the Fiji football team at a business-men’s luncheon this month.

Mr. Leydin.