Territories Talk-Talk

By Tolala

MEETINGS for the Festive on to one and all, and may we y the qualities of Peace — tally, spiritually and materially our personal and in our national tacts one with the other, essing Peace, then all that is must follow: Courage, Toler and the Better Things of Life ist proportion.

Oyful Christmas And A

Peaceful 1958.

ocratic

rgies

n Downs’ allegations of threat victimisation to anyone having audacity to question official »n brought a speedy challenge i NG Administrator Cleland in jest Ash Street manner. It was endeavour (it would appear) to nent the complaining lan as if vere a Party Member showing llious tendencies in the NSW slative Halls at Canberra, it the Member from the High s was not talking through his and I will be very surprised if Cleland challenge is not taken le man in the box seat gets annoyed if the crack of his > is not answered by those pull the load, and this attitude is cially apparent in NG, and has . for years; more particularly ’NG at one particular period. y mind goes back to 1925 when, Editor of the Rabaul Times, I carpeted before Administrator iom following the publication a certain editorial criticising linistration ineptitude, ch an act was tantamount to majeste in those days! The e was reminiscent of an Orderly n with a choleric CO and a de :ing Digger. I listened to a ire on the palpable dangers and arrassments arising from in nous press comments when seen ugh the eyes of the League of ons—which left me cold —while references to the recognised iom of the press were ruthlessly hed aside by the Brigadier, it the owner of the paper, ogling along with the aid of rnment printing, was justly ehensive, with the result that >rials did not appear for some as. That was not victimisation, rather intimidation; pressure or d-over tactics.

Thorns In

Official Sides

The elected Legco Member, who has had previous experience as an Administration official, as lan Downs has had, naturally possesses an advantage over other Members with his two-way knowledge and a familiarity of the workings of he official mind, and is an ostensible pain-in-the-neck to the ever-dom inant Official Party.

The old TNG Legco at one time had three ex-officials on the floor of the Chamber and they proved invaluable in their contributions to debates and in uncovering attempted pressure tactics, originated in Can

berra and launched by the official members.

The late Bill Grose was one; a former Government Secretary and later Police Superintendent in Rabaul. A polished and fluent speaker; his facts well marshalled, with a fund of knowledge and every “i” dotted and “t” crossed. He was a planter Member from New Ireland.

Jack Mullaly was another ex government man; ex-auditor and Native Affairs Inspector who became a planter and, without doubt, the most fiery Member of the Chamber, and one who had all the figures at his finger-tips and an inside knowledge of the modus operandi of the government Field staff.

He was a man who pulled no punches and his fighting qualities and expert knowledge received the greatest respect from the Govern ment benches.

The third Member, who had lived in both camps, was Harold Taylour, j, mining engineer from the Morobe gold-fields area and one who had previously been an Inspector of the TNG police and Mining Warden.

His expert technical knowledge drove home many a point during debates.

Towards A Two Track Mind Much of the inter-sectional trouble in P-NG arises from a studied dis regard of how the other fellow lives. The official, the missionary, the planter and the man of com merce each lives in his own air tight compartment and is ignorant and/or intolerant of the other.

I expect the curriculum of the cadet field officer is already pretty well filled; but serving a six months’ period on a plantation as a common or garden overseer, without any government glamour, would be of inestimable value to him and allow him to appreciate to the full some of the problems of everyday life and the atmosphere which prevails outside the charmed circle of officialdom.

Some of TNG’s old officers were men who had lived the Two-Way Island life and were armed with knowledge gained in both unofficial and official jobs. I call to mind off hand; Chinnery, who was native labour officer for a Papuan mining company at one time; Bob Melrose, a Wireless Officer; “Cassa” Towns end, who was with a Rabaul com mercial firm; Ernie Britten, with the Exproboard and prospecting; Jerry McDonald, another ex-Board man; and many another, all of whom in their dealings with the masses showed the advantages of their knowledge of Two-Way Thinking.

An attribute not acquired by being shut away in an isolated ivory tower of officialdom.

And John Gunther, the AA, should know that only too well, for he had

a couple of years down in the Solomons with a big plantation con cern. if just a little attention could be spared from the over-all drive for native welfare and development to bring together the non-native people

in a spirit of harmony, then lift would be so much more pleasam and more gracious instead of thiii incessant demonstration of peth jealousies and intolerance.

It was bad enough in pre-wai days but now another sections conflict has arisen between thi Befores and the Behinds.

A “Before” is too often used as jj term of opprobrium by the “Behinds’i with their grey flannel minds; whilt the old-timers are too patronisim and intolerant of the late-comersl

Wanted: A

Tabloid History

Invariably when I read a featurf story dealing with NG in an Aus; Iralian newspaper I realise thi necessity for the existence (and itl use) of a concise tabloid histor: book on both Papua and Nev Guinea; one that would contain coli bare facts, not carrying a torch lo: any particular political party, de: partment of science or strata o: society, and preferably one with i gazeteer with standardised spelling of native place names.

Only recently I read quite a gooi factual story on the Rabaul erupt tion back in 1937—0n1y twenty year ago and an event which had a ful cover in most Australian news; papers—nevertheless there was i glaring error in giving the credit for the Rabaul evacuation on thj day following the eruption to Judg; Wanliss when, as everyone shouk know, it was Judge Phillips who dk such an excellent job.

Judge Wanliss was down in Ausc tralia &t that time taking his lon|j leave before retirement. Another statement, which Time has prover to be incorrect, was to the effee that the Japs and Allied bomber; had “turned Rabaul into a wreck beyond hope of repair.”

Well, not that you would notice anyway! What with talk of no mor; building sites being available in thr township and suggestions tha, future building programmes should be located at Kokopo!

Another story in a Sydney Sundar paper dealt with “A New Era for th; Copra Kings?” After a recital o: Lord Leverhulme’s activities wit): the wily coconut, the writer refen to “Count” Wahlenburg who “se up headquarters as ‘Emperor o Equatoria’ on Maron Island. . .

Although the writer puts the titl in quotation marks there is the inr ference that HRW posed as such which was never the case, although (if my memory serves me right! his wife was a Grafin (Countess) iii her own right.

“Wahlenburg” is probably culler from “Wahlenberg”, the name od the palatial home on Maron. Inr cidentally, in this same story thr Anchorites became the Anchovities^ I may seem to be a stuffy purisk but the time has arrived when P-NO

On the arm of her husband, Mr. G. Blake, the former Miss E. Brittain leaves the IMS Church, Port Moresby, on November 8. Mr.

Blake is with the Commonwealth Bank and the couple will live in Port Moresby.

Photo: Papuan Prints.

o longer back o’ beyond or an id fantasy. It is world news and we became realistic about our >ry. ( s in P-NG sure sign of the Territory’s

ring importance—politically, if

ling else —is the great number op-ranking visitors making the id tour; saying the right things, lot necessarily meeting the right ile at all times if it is a re ic approach they seek. How , protocol must be regarded. .st month the Aussie-Dutch re ns were given a shot in the when the Dutch Minister for •seas Affairs went touring about

our Minister Hasluck and the j Governor hob-nobbed with inistrator Cleland. illand has visited New Guinea, se for itself before. In 1936 a .al New Guinea Committee of h scientists and government .als made a wide tour of Pacific 5 studying the various admin tive set-ups and they spent a iderable time in TNG noting a of the things which applied in own western portion of the d. Little did those Dutch als think that in a couple of des the world’s spot-light would >cussed on their particular neck le woods.

TS AND PIECE 3: Engaged: ara Ann, only daughter of Mr.

Mrs. Lee Smith, of Rose Bay, Jyril John Bull, of Lae. . . . de: Pamela May, youngest hter of Mr. and Mrs. Orm iy, of NG, to William Finch, previously with Qantas in NG. r will live at Turramurra. . . .

Post: Rear Admiral A. W. R. icoll to become Deputy-Secre (Military) to th° Defence De nent from next February.

and Mrs. Geoff Moxam, seen here after wedding at St. John's Church, Port by, on November 16, will make their at Boroko. Mrs. Moxam was formerly Elma Vrepont. Mr. Moxam is with DCA.

Photo: Papuan Prints.