Early Prospects

For Assembly Elections

Indications in September were that there might be some surprise Euro pean nominations in both open and reserved electorates.

MR. R. F. BUNTING, who until 1961 was a nominated member of the Legislative Council, and is a prominent businessman and a member of an old Papua family, is considering standing in the open electorate of Milne Bay. If he does he will prob ably be challenging John Guise, at present elected native member for East Papua. Mr. Bunting was born in Samarai and would probably give a good account of himself.

MR. H. L. NIALL, at present District Commissioner of Morobe, with head quarters at Lae, will probably resign early in the New Year to contest the reserved electorate of North Mark ham. He is due for retirement from the Public Service at end of 1964.

MR. LLOYD HURRELL, elected mem ber for New Guinea Coastal in the present Legislative Council, was in two minds whether to renominate in September. As one of the few members of the Legislative Council who can still turn on some home spun indignation when the occasion demands it, it would be a pity if he were lost to the new House. It seems, however, he may be opposed by MR. MICK LEAHY, pioneer gold miner, explorer and now cattle farmer of Zenag, Morobe. The story is that Mr. Leahy will stand on a United Australia Party ticket—the UAP being sponsored by a group that includes Mr. Bruce Miles, a Sydney lawyer.

Main plank in UAP's platform is to see P-NG as the 7th Australian State.

MR. BEN HALL, Madang planter and long-time Territorian, is expected to stand for the open electorate of Ramu where he is well known to the native people.

In addition to these probables, it is rumoured that half a dozen Patrol Officers and ADO's are considering resigning to contest open electorates. (Under new legislation they may re sign from the Public Service to do so and can be reinstated without loss of status if they lose.) It was generally assumed at first that a European wouldn't have Buck ley's chance of winning any of the 44 open electorates from native can didates—but a number of people are now having second thoughts, and every non-native person in the Terri tory would like to see it done in order to prove something to the world at large. In electorates where two opposing native factions are al most equally divided, a European candidate could very easily carry the day, especially if he could persuade his electorate to use the preferential form of voting intelligently.

Among present elected members who are unlikely to stand for the new House of Assembly are MR. J.

L. CHIPPER, elected member for New Britain; and MR. PAUL MASON, of the New Guinea Islands electorate.

Mr. Chipper is shortly going to Africa on holiday and says he probably won't be back in time to organise a campaign. Mr. Mason says that after three years of it he still hasn't any taste for political life. It is likely that MR. DON BARRETT, a member of previous Legcos, will be standing in New Britain; and MR. JIM GROSE, planter and member of a well-known New Ireland family, for New Guinea Islands.