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Independence? Who-Us?

From a Port Moresby Correspondent While the territory’s 64-member House of Assembly contains a number of elected representatives of real talent, it does not really represent a cross-section of the views of the territory’s two million people. It’s hardly a real parliament yet.

Papua-New Guinea’S Com-

x bmed local government councils do not comprise a parliament, either, stace l *f S r bablY t tF V e j hat i at this fft 8 „ of ft® countr y s development the councillors represent a greater asT I fs1 of th r a e n I t , h err A ory Ught (SUCh as it ,s) than the Assembly.

There are 39 councils in P-NG, representing 68 per cent, of the population, and the councillors are undoubtedly in closer contact with the people. ror these reasons the resolutions of the sixth annual local government 8 of some A surprising number of the motions debated were connected with the matter of self-government, and councillors were in no doubt that the pace was being forced and that they w . an( “V , f * lrther Pressures w m ‘° War ? s self -SOvernment berouncn aft oUntry W f for Council after council said the same i, , , comnMPfft °Sr g deba * e . the . chairman, competent Mase Rei from Port Moresby, invited the conference to move a resolution condemning the

use of outside pressure to bring about self-government.

He said he had told i v ; c ;t

ing UN* that" the UN Tas'

making a mistake in pressing New Guinea iust as the Hnteh HoH a Ske in aS a^ing U 1 h „dtts"lo take over West New s Gujnea> an ° “the UN had made a mistake in letting them do it without having considered the feelings of the West New Guinea people, “I f ee j t jj e United Nations should not exercise any power over the Aus tralian Government,” said Mase Rei

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country in a hurry”. It was passed unanimously, • Popular commanding officer of the Australian Army in Papua-New Guinea ’ Brigadier A* L. MaJ-Donall left Port Moresby in April for a new appointment as Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Canberra. He has been promoted to the rank of maior general. The new commander in P-NG is Brigadier lan Hunter