Highlands Members May Be

Key To Next NG Council

When Papua-New Guinea gets its big new Legislative Council in 1964 with its overwhelming elected native majority, the native members from the Highlands might well turn out to be its stabilising influence.

John Gunther, P-Ng

11..

Assistant Administrator, predieted this when speaking at Sydney University in March, where he presented the Ninth Maitland Oration. . 1 ; (The Oration is in honour of a Sydsurgeon the late Sir Herbert " e ur j on - me late sir ' Dr. Gunther told an audience which overflowed the Great Hall that the Highlands people were an intelligent and important group in NG, who would maintain their identity as a group in the Council where other native members would not. The Highlands members would thus be a stabilising force in the Council during a period in which instability

could be expected while leaders began to emerge.

He said it was inevitable that the native members would form groups in the new Council.

In the present Council there were about five groups. Three nominated native members always supported the Administration, but the others voted according to their own views, as did the elected native members.

They had not always done this. At first, the elected native members had voted as a bloc with the Australian elected members.

Dr. Gunther said he felt it probable that in the 1964 Council the 17 mem bers representing the Highlands people would group together under the guidance of the Australian they elected.

Theirs would probably be a “most conservative” bloc and the Adminis tration would have to win support through its. policies.

Dr. Gunther said he felt native electors in 1964 would elect their own countrymen to represent them in parochial matters but their white representative would be elected be cause of his knowledge of business or farming. They would look to him to promote the economy, while the native member would interest him self in social and political matters.

Off To New

Spc Post

The South Pacific Commission's new Secretary-General, Mr, W. D. Forsyth, took up his new post at Noumea in March. Earlier, at a Canberra cere mony, he was sworn in by Australia's Senior Commissioner on the SPC, Mr.

Dudley McCarthy. This photograph

of Mr. Forsyth and his charming wife was taken on the Matson liner "Mari posa" shortly before their departure from Sydney. Mrs. Forsyth will later return to Canberra to supervise the schooling of their youngest daughter.

Mr. Forsyth is a former Australian Ambassador to Vietnam.