In Review

The Month

Much-publicised discussions on the constitutional future of Papua-New Guinea overshadowed all other news in the South Pacific in April, which, as usual, was a somewhat dis organised month because of the Easter and Anzac Day holidays.

ITKJRMAL talks on New Guinea’s -T future took place in Canberra in mid-month between P-NG’s 14-member constitutional com mittee and the Australian Govern ment.

No clear-cut Government view emerged from these on where New Guinea was heading. It was up to the constitutional committee to find out what kind of political set up the P-NG people would like, the Government said.

The Government’s vagueness caused dissatisfaction in many quarters, and was widely criticised by speakers at a seminar in Sydney on New Guinea’s future, or ganised by the Council on New Guinea Affairs.

Subsequently, the P-NG Ad ministrator, Sir Donald Cleland. called a Press conference in Port Moresby to announce his retire ment at the end of the year, and in the course of this he stated that the much-discussed idea of Papua- New Guinea becoming the seventh state of Australia would not be practicable.

No one has yet been named to succeed Sir Donald, nor have P-NG’s two Assistant Admini stratorships been filled. But dur ing the month, the Australian Territories Department announced the names of new administrators in Australia’s two other Pacific territories Norfolk Island and Nauru.

The main events in other terri tories were: American Samoa: President Johnson approved a supplementary allocation of U 551,235,750 from Federal disaster relief funds to rehabilitate the territory following the heavy hurricane damage in January. American Samoa had re ceived an initial allocation of

Us$5Oo,Ooo.

Fiji: Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, arrived in Nadi by air from Australia on April 8 for a brief stay in the Colony before going on to New Zealand. She was given an enthusiastic welcome.

The first five pages of The Fiji Times of April 11 were almost entirely devoted to her, and there were also news and pictures on other pages.

Fiji’s Governor, Sir Derek Jakeway and Lady Jake way, began a nine-day tour of the Northern District of the Colony.

It was announced that the Fiji Government had agreed to allow New Zealand troops to train on Viti Levu to acclimatise them selves for jungle warfare in South- East Asia.

French Polynesia: Preparations for France’s nuclear tests have continued despite mounting pro tests from countries in and around the Pacific about the dangers of radio-active fall-out. To help allay fears in Australia, the French Government flew 10 Australian journalists to Tahiti during the month to brief them on its plans and precautions.

New Caledonia: Negotiations were reported to be progressing in France for the entry into New Caledonia of the world’s largest nickel producer, the International Nickel Company, of Canada.

Work on the sports arenas for the Second South Pacific Games in Noumea in December was nearing completion.

Papua-New Guinea: Plans were announced to build a large Army base at Lae at a cost of 57.5 million. The Papua-New Guinea Electricity Commission recom mended a $42 million hydro electricity scheme capable of supplying the whole of the New Guinea mainland.

Tonga: Delays, disagreements and disorganisation over plans to open the Kingdom’s first tourist hotel, the Dateline, in Nukualofa, culminated in the resignation of the hotel’s manager.

Western Samoa: At a ceremony in Apia. Prime Minister Mataafa launched a new English-Samoan dictionary, compiled by a noted English scholar. It is the first completely new dictionary of its kind for 104 years.