Guinea Chinese

Come

[?]W Australians

. AUGUST CHAN, presi

dent of the New Guinea jse Union, and his wife were irst to receive their Austra naturalisation papers from idiary Magistrate G. F. Hall e presence of Minister for

tories Hasluck, in Rabaul,

tie 2. jt 60 other members of New ti’s Chinese community also 3d their papers at a mass my in the Rabaul District r, the new citizens and their 3 were entertained at a cock irty by the New Britain Dis- Jommissioner, Mr. J. R. Foldi; r as followed later that night e spectacular New Citizens r in the week, Mr. Hasluck ed naturalisation ceremonies dang and Lae, on the main announcement that New t Asians could apply for Aus citizenship was made over ago. The wheels of the Ad ation (and Australian Gov

ernment) have been turning slowly over the matter ever since.

Probably, 2,000 Asians in New Guinea are eligible on residential qualifications—but only a few hundred have applied; and, of these, only about half had got far enough through the procedures to get their papers at the first cere monies.

Interviewed at Port Moresby, on his way through to Rabaul on May 30, Mr. Hasluck said that the Aus tralian Government had already faced up to the possibility of a number of New Guinea’s Asians migrating to Australia, once they had become naturalised.

There was no objection to these Asians entering Australia, he said: it was considered that the spread ing out of these groups would be more beneficial than having them gathered in enclaves. (See Editorial Commentary.)

abaul Stimpendiary Magistrate, Mr. G. F. Hall, congratulates Mrs.

Chan after the mass naturalisation ceremony. Left to riaht: P. Ngan, Mr. A. Y. Chan, Miss Rosemary Chan and Mr J. K. ng, chairman of the Rabaul Town Advisory Council.

Photo: C. H. Meen.