Ustralia And P-Ng

Excellency” Tabu!

Administrator

IANBERRA resistance to any I improvement in the official and plomatic status of the man in large of Papua and New Guinea typical of the mean and narrow itlook of the Australian Department Territories in matters of this kind.

Here are the titles of the govern sntal heads of all the other big irritories in the South Pacific: British Solomons High Com ssioner.

Fiji —Governor.

Western Samoa High Com ssioner.

Sew Caledonia High Com ssioner.

American Samoa —Governor. look Islands Resident Com ssioner.

French Oceania —Governor, h practically all these cases, the ,n occupying the position is iressed as “Your Excellency.”

Jut in Papua and New Guinea— ich in area, population and trade nover is the largest Territory in i South Pacific —the man at the i is Administrator, and is entitled y to be called “Your Honour”, hit the Administrator of Papua 1 New Guinea probably is sub ted to far more bureaucratic jrference from official head- Tters than any Governor or High nmissioner. Maybe, if he were nted the higher status, Canberra Id not order him around in the r that Canberra appears now to Maybe, that is why Canberra sts the change. There seems to no other reason. lERE were only four members — all Government members—who voted against a motion in the FG Legislative Council in March t the title of Administrator be nged to that of High Com moner. he matter originated at the ember sitting; and, in the rim, Minister for Territories luck announced that the title of ti Commissioner would be un able —“Administrator” adequate erved the purpose, i Port Moresby this was con ed as an attempt by the ister to tell the Government ibers of the Council how they ild vote in March, hen the motion came up in

ch, the Assistant Administrator,

Rupert Wilson, said that he done some research and found the present title was quite ible. It served very well in 'h Africa. It did not mean the Administrator at official

functions anywhere lost the pre cedence to which he was entitled.

“In these circumstances,” he said, “I cannot support a motion whose only effect would be to change a logical designation into an in appropriate one, and which altera tion would not in any way vary the present power, authority, ranking and precedence of the holder.”

After that forthright utterance, nobody seemed to want to take part in the debate, so Mr. E. A. James had the reply.

He said he couldn’t see what South Africa had to do with it, be cause the debate concerned the effect of the title of Administrator in the Pacific; and undoubtedly a changed title, from Administrator to High Commissioner, would improve the status of the head of

Papua and New Guinea inter nationally.

The international sphere was the important one; and (said Mr.

James) “Mr. Wilson, I suggest, is falling into an error which apparently was fallen into lately by another critic not in this Chamber, and that is that they are being prescribed in their outlook by looking at this with the Aus tralian view.”

The president (the Administrator) told members they could vote on the matter according to their consciences. Mr. James asked for a division. The four who voted against the motion were the Assistant Administrator; the Gov ernment Secretary (Mr. S.

Lonergan); the Director of District Services (Mr. A. Roberts); and the Collector of Customs (Mr. T.

Grahamslaw).