P-NG Burnt Offerings To The God UNO

THERE is no doubt that Miss Patricia Robertson was guilty of a technical offence when she divulged the contents of a tele gram to a third party—she pleaded guilty to the charge, therefore there is little that can be said in mitiga tion, in the legal sense.

But the trivial nature of the “secret” that she divulged in com parison with the fierce gaol sentence that was imposed on her, has shocked Territorians to whom the idea of a European woman in a local gaol is anathema.

During court proceedings it was stated by the prosecution that Miss Robertson had previously divulged Administration secrets—in relation to dead turtles and a Japanese fish ing ship!

One can perhaps say that Miss Robertson was maladroit, incauti ous and that it was putting too great a temptation in her way for her to be both a newspaper corre spondent (in her spare time) and a public servant with access to official despatches.

But it can also be said that, judg ing by the paltry nature of the secrets that she did divulge, either nothing of any consequence went her way, or that she showed sur prising restraint in passing on only those “secrets” of no importance whatsoever.

But whatever the legal and human angles of the case, many people are seeing the Robertson affair as a symptom of a far deadlier disease that has beset the Territory—a disease that can be called, for convenience, Window dressing for UNO.

This reluctance on the part of Officialdom to release news to the press is no new thing in the Terri tory but on few occasions has it had more ridiculous reasons behind it than the present case. Tribal brawls, head-hunting, and, in some districts, cannibalism have gone on in the Territory for thousands of years; and in the remoter parts are likely to go on for a few more

generations.

This particular massacre on the

Yellow River happened to “hit the headlines” (in spite of official hush hush) but there are many tribal killings that do not.

They do no discredit to the Aus tralian administration —they merely underline the difficulty of its task.

Even if Miss Robertson had not had access to official messages, an in telligent guess on her part should have been enough to assure her that a few heads were taken —headhunting is traditional for ritual pur poses in that area.

The suppression of these trivial details and, indeed, the general re luctance to admit that there was some more of the usual trouble on the Upper Sepik can be attributed only to muddled thinking on the part of officialdom; To present New Guinea to the world as a paradise in which the grosser aspects of prim itive existence no longer prevail.

This utterly stupid attitude makes small sense alongside the professed official indignation when the Trusteeship Council recently asked for a date for NG “independence.”

The fullest possible details of the difficulties of administration of these stone-age primitives might (and we say “might” advisedly) give that

august body a better idea of : task that faces Australia. Of v benefit is this ridiculous desire show that all is right in the Guinea world, even to the rer; areas of the Yellow and May Riv We have agreed that I Robertson technically committee indictable offence. However, would like to say that if the?

Administration has heard of i than one way of cracking a. than calling up a battery of ; dozens then it deliberately o to ignore it in this case.

Two courses were open to< Administration when Miss Rok son recently added a head or' to the dead turtles and the i ship: It could have institute.

Departmental inquiry, which o have removed Miss Robertson the Port Moresby official seen effectively as any gaol; ox could institute civil court pro«( ings. It chose to do the latte It could be that this affair further than expected and the was not contemplated that a sentence would result from this* ticular witch-hunt. It could beE Magistrate O’Driscoll was cae away by his own outraged fee and lack of experience (he sai. had never heard worse, which s to suggest he has had little ex ence) when he imposed the sent But the result is the san European woman of excel character and unblemished rex tion has been thrown into gaol native country for what amoun little more than a departim misdemeanour. The P-NG Ao istration may be happy aboutf But it should have no delusions the majority of Territorians sul it in its folly.

Late News

An amendment to existing P-NG leg was gazetted September 6, which will Miss Patricia Robertson to appeal sentence. Originally appeal was denir cause no legal provision for it —see ale

Switched-

Case

(See sto[?]

opposit[?]

The two mot[?] the switched bal[?] Vivita Tari who has broug ame op as he[?] and Batalaun, m[?] Tahir.— Fiji PRO graph.