It's A Legislative Council Boycott

Attempts to fill the three vacancies on the Papua-New Guinea Legislative Council left by the resignations of the elected members caused fun and games.

WHEN nominations closed on Ahd-usl 4 the Paoua electorate found itself with two candidates, one of whom will resign if he is elected; the New Guinea Islands electorate was in exactly the same position; and the New Guinea Mainland electorate had no candidates at all.

Thus when the elections are over on September 12 the Legislative Council may find it has one or two elected members to represent the three electorates, or perhaps none at all—but certainly not three.

This situation has arisen as a resuit of the boycott which was threatened by New Guinea taxpayers following the resignations of the

three elected men, Messrs. E. A.

James, lan Downs and Dudley Jones, none of whom has renominated.

However, the boycott was not a complete one, except in the Main land electorate, because of a split which developed between the tax payers during July.

Some, influenced in part by the view of a visiting Federal member, Mr Roy Wheeler, believed it would be bad tactics for men to stand only to resign. Mr. Wheeler had said that these tactics would make it dif ficult for him and other party back benchers to fight Mr. Hasluck in Federal Parliament.

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the supporters of the New Taxpayers’ Association, led Dudley Jones, took the oppo >w. They said the difficult n had been created by Mr. t and he should take the con ies for it, 5 are the candidates:

Papua

tenson (“Peter”) Fox, public ant, nominated by (among B. C. Goodsell and B. E. hßoss, hitherto regarded as ers of the taxpayers’ associa int T. Sanders, contractor, ted by officials of the tax i associations.

V Guinea Mainland

nomination. A nomination idney Barker was lodged too id rejected.

Vw Guinea Islands

un T. (“Mick”) Thomas,

[ Kokopo.

L. Chipper, contractor, , nominated by officials of the »rs’ associations, understood that Mr. Sanders [r. Chipper have given an iking that if they are elected, e so requested by the tax associations, they will resign Bats on the council. All the ites are well known men. nomination of Mr. Fox by Fairfax-Ross and Goodsell, jandidate against the Tax- Association, was a surprise, ;hree w.re prominent in sup f Messrs. James, Downs and Jones, when the latter re on June 22.

Mr. James' Headache

E. A. James later explained tter to the South Pacific Post, doresby, that his refusal to nomination could not be led as a boycott, said that when he had re on July 22 he had announced ild not seek re-election except certain conditions. And he ild the Legislative Council in that if it turned out that a n on income tax had already aade in Canbirra, despite the er’s assurance that it had not, le would take it as a personal t. It was later proved, said Mr. ; that the Tax bill had already )rinted at that date, idded; “After having suffered lon by the Minister with the ility of becoming the laughing of the Territory, and its Ad ration, none can blame me for ling it as a personal affront. . Wheeler, MHR, said, Tf a

boxer gets his nose bloodied in the first round he doesn’t throw in the towel. He comes back for more.’

“If you hit your head against a brick wall once it is a bit sore. Hav ing been thrusting my head against a brick wall for eight years, I have a permanent headache.”

Mr. Fox's Views Candidate Fox also offered an ex planation to the public—about why he had nominated despite his con nection with the taxpayers’ forces.

“It may be said that I changed horses in mid-stream,’ he said. “I would remind critics that I spoke against the boycott of the elections while in Lae—long before I had even considered standing for the seat.

And if elected I will fight the very cause that the members of the tax payers’ associations have at heart.

Only my fighting will be effective.”

Mr. Fox said that if elected he would demand an inquiry into the whole workings of the Administra tion; he would work for a Parlia mentary representative in Canberra; the appointment of non-official members to Executive Council, and the reconstitution of Legco,

Separate By-election

LATE NEWS. After the smoke had settled in early August Brigadier Cleland announced that the people in the Mainland electorate would get a “second chance” of nominat ing somebody. There would be an extra bi-election, with the rolls closing on September 1. Voting day would be October 17.

This was interpreted as meaning that Canberra was feeling badly about the complete success of the boycott in lan Downs’ old area, and hop:d to turn the tables with this

unprecedented step.