New Jobs At

The Top

By a Staff Writer

The search for a new Admin istrator for Papua-New Guinea to replace Sir Donald Cleland, who retires on December 31, has narrowed down and it is likely a name will be announced soon.

JUST who it will be is being kept a tight secret. Canberra officials are carefully guarding against a re peat of the news leak earlier this year, when it became known that Canberra’s national development com missioner, Mr. John Overall, had been offered the post.

As it happened, Mr. Overall did not want the job, and he will not be the man named. Nor will it be Mr.

C. W. Falkinder.

Only one name has come out of the ruck recently—that of the secre tary of the Department of Territories himself, Mr. G. Warwick Smith— but no information is available to indicate whether there is real basis for his name being mentioned. Ob viously he could have the job if he wanted it.

Meanwhile, in June, the two P-NG posts of Assistant Administrator (Services) and Assistant Adminis trator (Economic Affairs) were filled by Mr. L. W. Johnson and Mr. Frank Henderson.

Mr. Johnson has been Director of Education since 1962 and Mr. Hen derson, Director of Agriculture since 1959. Mr. Johnson went to the terri-

tory in 1962 and Mr. Henderson is ei a pre-war officer, having been in Neww Guinea since 1936.

PIM in February reported the twoo men were likely to fill the posts, atfi the same time it revealed Dr. Johnn Gunther was to become vice--e chancellor of the P-NG University.

Mr. Henderson’s agricultural postte will be filled by Mr. W. L. Conroy..y The filling of all these top jobsEc will help relieve the crisis in New Guinea, and the Junes* announcement of a compensations scheme for NG’s permanent publics! servants will result in further repair'd work (see p. 15).

It now virtually remains for the si new Administrator to pull the teamm together.

New SRC Secretary

In the South Pacific generally theresj has been speculation on the identityyl of the man who will fill the post oflc Secretary-General of the South Pacificsf Commission when Mr. W. D.a Forsyth retires from it at the endbr of the year. An announcement issi also expected soon.

It is not Australia’s or Neww: Zealand’s turn to nominate; thesr French traditionally don’t and ap--q parently there is no US nomination, t n so Britain will supply the new man..n The name of Mr. Reid Cowell, ofio the South Pacific Office, Suva, bases been mentioned, but it seems moresi likely the job will go to Sir Gawainni Bell, KCMG, a former Governor oflo the northern region of Nigeria, whoor in 1964 was secretary-general of theari Council for Middle Eastern Trade..ai He lives now in Britain.

Sir Gawain, who is 59, has hadbs wide administrative experience buttir none of it in the South Pacific. Fromrnt 1942-45 he was a lieutenant-colonelbi with the Arab Legion.

Mr. Johnson

Mr. Henderson