First Multi-Racial

Minister Opens

Council In P-Ng

The Australian Minister for Ter ritories, Mr. C. E. Barnes, opened Papua-New Guinea's first multi-racial Local Government Council at Goroka, Eastern Highlands, in January. An other such council was opened at Manus during the month.

Native local government councils were introduced in the Territory in the early 1950's as a first step in political development. Legislation providing for multi-racial councils with wider scope in providing health and education, and in levying local taxes was introduced in the Legislative Council in 1963. It was assented to the following year, but the councils at Goroka and Manus are the first to put it into operation.

Local Government, after the pat tern of Australian town and shire councils, has been approved in prin ciple in the Territory for years, but most towns have preferred to con tinue to "let the Admin, do it" rather than assume the additional burden of taxes and responsibilities.

The Goroka Council area covers the township and adjacent urban districts and has 34,000 eligible voters. The Council has 36 members, six of them Europeans. President is Atau Baukawe who is a former Seventh-day Adventist preacher turned coffee farmer and trade-store owner. He is also a local magistrate.

The opening of the Council was turned into a junior-sized Goroka Show with 5,000 local natives turn ing up in feathers and sing-sing costumes, and dancing and singing from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.