Mg Legislative Council Meeting Produces

New Members Make Debut

Bombshells And Lightning Bolts

Papua-New Guinea’s third post-war Legislative Council started off with a bang that is not likely to be forgotten in the Territory for a long time. All the colourful pomp and ceremony of the opening day on September 30—bands, honour-guards, inspections—turned sour within an hour, for the gowned and jacketed citizens in the public gallery.

From STUART INDER, in Port Moresby.

IT happened when Council Presi dent Donald Cleland just chanced to mention, in his opening address, that “one of the new tax fields to be introduced is a personal tax on all males over the age of 18 years, European and in digenous”. , , There was a shocked silence, followed by much mumbling and shaking of heads even in the Chamber itself.

This had hardly died away before the newly-elected member for the New Guinea Islands, Rabaul bar rister Dudley Jones, began to make it quite clear, in his maiden speech, that he didn’t like a lot of things about the Administration, and that this was as good a time as any to say so.

SPEAKING at a lickity-lick pace that was reminiscent of Don Barrett (the man whose seat he took), Jones said he particularly had no time for the Administra tion’s drift towards govemment by-legislation, and that hence forth he would throw in his lot with the member for Papua, E. A.

James, in opposing it.

He objected, too, he said, to the Government’s refusal to increase the number of elected members in the Legislative Council. The council should be almost half-and-half.

And he was vexed by the Gov ernment’s refusal to decide on, and make public, a policy on the future of the New Guinea Trust Terri tory.

When Jones sat down, the gal lery had hardly had time enough to nod their heads, at each other, with pleased smiles, before the next new man, former DC lan Downs, and now the elected mem ber for New Guinea Mainland, used his maiden speech to be even more blunt —and before he had finished to uhrepentantly admit that he was probably even being rude in parts.

“The greatest danger in this Territory,” he shouted, in a voice that could be heard by the native police stationed out on Ela Beach Road, “is one created by the Gov

ernment itself and exploited by the Minister the intoxication of power!”

Power corrupted, he said, to the point where officials were hyper sensitive to criticism, and thought of criticism as disloyalty. And those who dictated Administration policy were themselves out of touch with the country (they were not in that Chamber, he said).

Turning to the members as if he were speaking to them person ally, Downs said, “You must learn restraint. You have all the power you need. You have too much power. But you don’t practise re straint . . . power is very corrup tive”.

So far, the formal opening of the Territory’s new Legislative Council was packing a kick that was un expected. But it turned out to be only the beginning.

Treasurer Reeve’S

Bombshell

THE next day, when Treasurer Harold Reeve introduced his new Budget, the air became more explosive than anybody could remember.

The Territory would budget for internal revenue of £4,937.800 (which is a whopping 19 per cent., or £784,000 more than last year) and to get the extra, said Mr.

Reeve to a silenced hall, it would be necessary to increase some levies ‘and to intrude into new fields of collection”.

“I have no doubt that some of the measures which it is proposed to introduce will prove unpopular with a section of the community, and possibly give rise to sectional criticism,” he said, in what turned out to be the understatement of the year.

There would be a Capitation (or Head) tax of £2 a head on all males over the age of 18, to begin from Januarv 1, 1958. This would produce £150,000 for the first full year, and £lOO,OOO for the rest of this year.

Liquor License fees would not now be adjusted to gain extra revenue, as had been planned, but there would be higher import and

excise duties on liquor, to gaj another £50,000.

Luxury items in the stores (i the purchase of which the Terr tory resident enjoys a more favoui able position than his counterpa in Australia”) would be hit wii higher duties, from 5 per cent. 10 per cent. The list would inchu cars, cameras, jewellery, tobaco clothing, beverages and petrol ( a gallon).

Duties on some building ma erials, however, would drop frc 15 per cent, to 5 per cent, to low the high cost of building.

ALL these new charges, and to lower ones, would bring in i additional £260,000 a year, saf Mr. Reeve, with the gallery by no running their fingers around t: insides of their collars, and mun bling.

But extra shocks followed close; Export duties on rubber ai cocoa would go up to bring in hoped-for increase in revenue £37,000. This would help offset t: loss of revenue caused by a slur in the market for shell, with to Administration this year gettii only about £25,000 instead of anticipated £60,000.

Port and harbour dues would up sharply, to bring in an a dltional £70,000.

Stamp duties on cheques and i ceipts would be increased from to 3d. Succession duties would up, too.

When Mr. Reeve finished outline, the Council adjourn without a word. At that stage th« didn’t seem much to say.

But as the elected members di cussed it among themselves, it w soon clear that they were in a mo to make one of the strongest ! tacks on the Administration er heard in the Legislative Council.. (Also in this issue : Bread-ar Water Budget, p. 18; Labour Ord\ ance, p. 165; Notes from Pn Gallery, p. 167.)