[?]Unior Ranking Representatives At

Letter to the Editor

Un Show Canrerra "Contempt"

fN the article by Stuart Inder L (October PIM, page 146), there is an expression of opinion which las been voiced more than once n your journal. I refer to the tatement “. . . . and Canberra is rightened of the United Nations trusteeship Council.”

I once showed a PIM article con aining this opinion to a UK dele ave and a French delegate to whom was talking before the commence aent of the Council meeting. The Cnglishman’s comment was, “You yould not gather that impresion lere, would you?”; and the French nan agreed.

Indeed, there has been feeling in ome quarters that Canberra’s atti ude to the Council is nearer re nted to contempt than to fear, and he grounds for that feeling are the following:—

Status Of Officers

[ (1) Although the Council is not in expert body (as was the Man lates’ Commission), but a body of lational representatives, it is ex acted that the Administering Authorities’ representatives should >e experienced in Territory matters, [he last UK member had been jovernor of the Gold Coast; the lew member was Governor of Uganda until recently. The French Representative had been Governor )f Madagascar; the Belgian, Gov ‘rnor-General of the Congo; the JS member had been High Com nissioner of the Philippines. New Zealand’s representative was her Ambassador to Washington.

But no Australian representative las had Territorial administrative jxperience.

Each year, when the Report of an (Administering Authority is being iiscussed, the Council invites to the table the Special Representative of the Authority concerned. Tangan yika has sent her Governor, Italy tier Administrator, France and Bel gium their Governors, the US her High Commissioner for the Pacific tslands, British Togo, a Gold Coast Finance Minister; and, on two occasions New Zealand has sent her High Commisisoner for Western Samoa.

I Canberra sends Papua-New Guinea’s Director of District Ser vices & Native' Affairs (now special Adviser to the Territories Dept, in

panberra.)

All acknowledge this officer’s competence; but the fact remains that Australia is the only AA which has not paid the Council the com pliment of sending, even on one occasion, an officer of the rank of

Administrator or even Deputy- Administrator.

Status Of Chairman

(2) Each year the Council sends out a Mission to one of the three groups of Trust Territories. One year a member from an Admin istering Authority is Chairman; the next year, one from the Non-Admin istering Authorities. Protocol is observed at the United Nations as always in International affairs. The

composition of the Mission there fore depends mainly on the import ance of the Chairman. The three Missions to go to New Guinea were led by two UK Governors and a Dominican Republican Ambassador, and therefore other Governors or Ambassadors could serve with them.

Australia has been called upon to supply one Chairman of a Visiting Mission and that was in 1952. What rank or experience had he? The Papua-New Guinea Administrator, or an ex-Administrator? Perhaps the senior officer of the Department of Territories?

No. Our representative was a Second Secretary of the External Affairs Department: and his rank ing naturally set the pattern for the other nation’s members. They

pointed seconds or thirds; and it on record that this was the least perienced and least fruitful ission that has ever been sent out ;■ the UN—and I am not forgetig the 1953 Mission to New jinea.

J Clumsy And Slovenly

Reports

, , .. (3> Anyone who has seen the ven Reports submitted by the L’s will readily agree that the Istralian one is the least satisctory in format and contents.

The Belgian and French reports e elaborately produced and beautillv illustrated.

Originally, the Guinea refcJSSaTSS t b h y en th p e ut H t e o a g d the Government Secretary’s office, Canberra, where H nu? toeettier aeam this Ume P ut , together again, this time oanoerra styie.

This led to the report being so tered that the Departmental » a ds, for some years, refused to rite the report themselves and Hided over the task to their niors - The report has always been late, id the Australian representative inually apologises to the Council. jually several advance copies are nt to New York, and on one

occasion they were hand-corrected, roneoed copies—dreadful looking things. it was m y practice to run through the advance copy and draw atten tion to points or statements con cerning which the Council would certainly require further informa tion. For instance, one year there was a reduction in the number of hospitals in the Territory; but the statement was not accompanied by an y explanation for this. The ex pianation was that there had been a consolidation of small hospitals an d this resulted in a greater benefit to the inhabitants. This should have appeared in the report and should not have had to be given Slt^und^n^i^! 61 ' 6 “ I doubt it in ten years I served at UN there was one New there can be no doubt but that much 0 f the criticism levelled at the report by members of the Coun- C il has been due to lack of care in its compilation. j h ave discussed this matter at Canberra, both' with the Minister an( j the Department of Territories: and make bold again to suggest that if the Secretary for Territories would pay only one visit to the Council, to meet the members, to see and hear the way in which his and other reports are discussed,

Mr. Townsend, formerly a Dis trict Officer in New Guinea, has recently returned to live in Aus tralia after 10 years at UN head quarters, New York.

much criticism on both sides could be avoided.

Comment!

It will be remembered that last year the Indian delegate made patricularly strong criticism of New Guinea affairs. The Australian delegate protested at the time it was made and informed the Council that he would reply next day. He did so, at length, and his reply was featured in the Australian papers.

I could have wished that the Indian delegate’s comment which followed had been given as much publicity. He said: “I am grateful to the Australian delegate for the information. Had the Council been given that infor mation in the Report or otherwise, my intervention in the debate would have been very different.”

And, it follows, that the Aus tralian representative would not have been placed in an invidious position; though he should be inured to that by now.

Australia is carrying out her obligations in New Guinea in a manner which deserves the highest

praise; and it is the duty of Gov ernment to acquaint and to keep acquainted those peoples vitally concerned, i.e., the peoples of New Guinea, Australia and the United Nations.

As has been pointed out many times, what is required is an In

formation Service to tell the tn fully, competently and —let it added—with dignity.

G. W. L. Townseni

I am, etc., Montville Rd., Via Palmwoods, Q., December 5, 1956.