Why Didn't We Use

Australia Should Have Walloped Them at UNO

Why Didn't We Use Our Ace ?

By G. W. L. Townsend

Mr. Menzies is reported as having said, before his departure for New York, that he would “tell the UN the magnificent story of Papua-New Guinea”.

In his address to the General Assembly, Mr. Menzies de plored Mr. Khrushchev’s “disturbing want of knowledge of these territories and of the present state of their development” and then displayed a total lack of understanding of the events which have brought the Territory to its present admirable state.

{AVING listened in the past to Russian interventions in the Trusteeship Council debates on nditions in New Guinea, I was iver sure how much was ignorance id how much was due to a de )erate policy of twisting facts and rures. But there can be no other planation for Mr. Menzies’ speech an bad briefing and personal lorance.

Mr. Menzies said (and I quote the mrier Mail of October 7); “Here is a country which, not so long ago, was to a real extent, In a state of savagery. It passed through the most gruesome ex periences during the last war. It 3ame out of it without organised administration and, in a sense, without hope.” iVhat is passed over here without mtion, is that Australia had been administration control of Papua * half a century and of New tinea for almost that length of ie; and the Annual Reports to nberra and to the League of tions tell of the advances made ring that long period.

V. good deal of New Guinea was a ttlefield, but by no means all of For instance, the Japanese never -ched the thickly populated bigh ts. Apart from Buna and Gona i the short-lived expeditions of Danese troops to Milne Bay and koda, Papua was never in enemy ids. In any event, no European Asian nations with their own r memories are likely to become ited about jungle fighting in w Guinea.

Was "Wrong"

hit it is the last sentence in the )te above which is so wrong, ten New Guinea was invaded, GAU was formed (Australian v Guinea Administration Unit) 1 remained in being till after the r when very many of these men :ame the Civil Administration. n -, a . I_ve^y 1 ve^ y rea * sense men who led the two Administrations any

thing up to 20 years before the Japanese invasion are still serving, and have never left it for a day.

If the New Guinea people ended the war without hope, as Mr. Menzies says, it may be asked what kept them loyal to our cause in the first years when things looked black?

Did the stretcher bearers on the Kokoda trail work sullenly under compulsion? And what of Luluai Golpaik and his people in New Britain who, at the risk of their lives protected and cared for our parties of Coastwatchers, refusing to bow to Japanese pressure? Was all this not a trust in the Australians they had known over the years, and a hope and belief that New Guineans and Australians would have a future together? So I believe.

Mr. Menzies went on: “We have built up an extensive administrative service from nothing. . .”

Is it possible that Canberra can have forgotten the existence of that world-renowned Administrator, Sir Hubert Murray, or believe for a second that his years of labour and love for the Papuans faded to noth ing at the threat of invasion?

As regards New Guinea, there are officers now serving, as I have said, with records of more than 30 years in the Territory behind them. Surely they would protest about that “from nothing”.

A further last quote: “We have built from nothing, medical ser vices.”

Today’s news tells of the con version of the Port Moresby hos pital into a Legislative Council Chamber. To my knowledge that building has been used as a hos pital for 40 years.

The hospitals at Rabaul, Kavieng and Madang which were destroyed, largely by Allied bombing, were buildings erected by the Imperial German Government prior to 1914.

Those at Salamaua, Wewak, and so on were of later date. In Aus tralia’s Annual Report to the League of Nations glowing, and true, accounts are given of the medical services provided the inhabitants of

the Territory. There are lists of the numbers of Medical Orderlies trained and sent back to their villages, of the drugs and dressing issued to them, and of the number of aid posts set up.

Divide and Fail It is inconceivable that the work of 20 years by devoted medical per sonnel, both of government and that of the various religious missions, would leave no trace so that post-war services had to com mence “from nothing”.

This sorry exposition by Mr.

Menzies of the truly remarkable work carried out by Australians in Papua-New Guinea in a half century stems from the deep division be tween the Departments of Terri tories and External Affairs in Can berra.

Authority in and over Papua-New

linea is exercised by the Minister ■ Territories but overseas, notably the UN, External Affairs is the ihority. r or example, the Administrator of pua-New Guinea (who should re an unrivalled knowledge and ierstanding of the peoples of se Territories) is never permitted appear before the Trusteeship incil when New Guinea affairs discussed. s I have pointed out in a previ letter to the PIM, whilst Tang ika can send its Governor, and 7 Zealand and the United States r High Commissioners for their st Territories, Australia re ins the sole administering lority which has consistently re d to allow the head of Govern it of her TT to appear or even ; the UN. r. Menzies had an ace in his d; but for some reason allowed self to be persuaded not to use 5 went down at least three :s to an opponent he should have oped. what Mr. Menzies said, see page 134; also Commentary, page 25.)