"Led Astray”

Mr. Hasluck

Will Sue

N. Guinea Students "Led Astray”

MUCH official perturbation resulted when it became known that four native students attending secondary school in Charters Towers, Queensland, had been recalled to Port Moresby for misbehaviour. , The incident might have blown over quicker—or been regarded in Its correct perspective—if Minister Hasluck had not seen fit to act the outraged mother and make a state ment on the subject alleging that the boys had been led astray by picked Australians.

These boys have been at school in Queensland for about four years, ire now around 18 years old and ire not—as most of us supposed— ;afely tucked into boarding-schools, )ut live in hostels where they ipparently have more freedom than s justified.

They went to a hotel in the town md got drunk, one of them being irrested.

According to the P-NG Assistant Administrator, the boys were mmediately withdrawn from the chool on Administration orders; he principal of the school said the chool had nothing to do with the (withdrawal —the boys had been most ixemplary in conduct; and Mr. lasluck wants to sue someone.

One way and another it appears hat someone in the P-NG Admini itration is going to get a rap over he knuckles.

It is a guinea to a gooseberry hat if the boys had been European r ouths of 18 their escapade would lot have merited a fill-in paragraph •n a back-page. Nor does the iscapade detract from the fact hat the dozens of other native hildren attending school in Aus ralia are models of decorum.

However, it does give ammunition o the people who opposed Mr. lasluck’s idea of sending P-NG lative children to secondary schools n Australia. The majority of i’erritorians and most native Baders—are against it on the rounds that it unfits the youngsters or life in the Territory.

It is believed that secondary chools should be built for them in ’-NG. PIM has an open mind in the subject. For several fenerations selected Fijians have [one to schools in New Zealand and Isewhere and the result has been ome of the most charming people ou could meet anywhere. .Most of ; these boys are of the hiefly however, and are born o the obligations and privileges pat come to them as leaders of neir people.

The children whom Australia is educating have no established place in the Territory when they return, and experienced residents feel that they will go home merely to become square pegs in an inadequate number of round holes.

Time will tell. t The Smith-Grey Appeal in Papua- New Guinea had reached £2,000 early August.

t Brigadier Brown secretarv general o£ the Imperikl wlr Graves Commission ,has been visiting New Caledonia inspecting the New Zealand War Memorial cemetry at Bourail. Brigadier Brown

cemetry "due To* SMedt^

fato'thil year® when^ai 8 frVgatio™

plant will be installed, probably of the wind mill type.