Territorians Show Disinterest

P-NG Legco Elections:

Territorians Show Disinterest In Local Politics

If any proof were wanted that non-indigenous residents of Papua and New Guinea are not interested in local politics, the elections held on October 2 supplied it. Of 1,125 people on the rolls for NG Islands electorate, 542 voted. Of 700 on the rolls for NG Mainland, 192 cast their vote.

RESULTS of the polls were;

Islands Electorate

Mr. D. Barrett (sitting member), 408 votes.

Mr. J. Stokie, 116 votes.

Informal, 6 votes.

Rejected, 12; 49 postal votes out standing when counting finished.

Total on the rolls, 1,125. Total postal votes issued —128.

Mainland Electorate

Mr. G. Whittaker, 145 votes.

Mr. H. Starr, 40 votes.

Informal, 7; 18 postal votes out standing when counting finished.

Total on the rolls, 700. Total postal votes issued, 51.

The elections were hardly in doubt from the time counting commenced at 6 o’clock in the two main polling centres of Rabaul and Lae.

Elected members to the P-NG Legislative Council for the next

three years will therefore be; Mr.

Barrett, Mr. Whittaker and Mr. E.

A. James, of Port Moresby, who was elected unopposed for the Papua Mainland electorate.

Names of nominated members of the new Council had not been an nounced at the time of going to press.

Meeting of new Council has been set for November 1 and is expected to last about one week.

Towards the close of the life of the last Council, a sub-committee was set up to consider ways in which the Council could be improved. Re commendations are now before the Minister for Territories and it is ex pected that, in due course, they will be considered by Australian Cabinet.

One of the recommendations was that elected members should be in creased from three to nine. Results of this election just concluded, how

ever, are scarcely likely to impres Federal Parliament with the poll tical consciousness of P-NG resi dents. In the huge electorate c Papua Mainland, only one ma; could be found to present himse] for election—Mr. James. That h was unopposed may, of course, t just a compliment to Mr. James, bi Federal Cabinet may not take the view.

There are about 13,000 Europear in the Territory and well over 2,0C Asians, yet only about 2,700 regii tered to vote in the whole of tt Territory and in the two electoral where there was a poll, only 72 actually voted, out of the 1,825 er rolled.

Figures seem to show that thei has been a falling off in interei since the first election in 1951. O that occasion 60 per cent, of tho; enrolled in Mainland and Islam electorates voted; this time tl figure is less than 40 per cent.

Our Rabaul correspondent sa; that the Asiatics were the maj< factor in the swing towards Barret and that a high percentage exercise their right to vote. Many Eun peans were apathetic, due partly 1 the feeling that, no matter whic candidate was successful, his be intentions could be defeated by tl official majority in the Council.

Mr. Stokie was disappointed ; the result. He said that, though 1 did not expect to win the Islam seat, he had not expected M Barrett’s majority to be so great.