Agricultural bias

believe that greater efforts should be made to train tocal officers for more responsible positions and that this might be a solution for the dis content that prevails.

On land titles, and claims by native communities, we believe that a fixed date (resumption of Civil Administration in 1946) should be declared, acknowledging leaseholders rights, who were admittedly in pos session of land legally, prior to that date. From our own experience in listening to land titles hearings, a lot of the work of the commission seems to be ineffective.

Admitting that there were some bad dealings in native lands in the 19th century, the subsequent years acknowledged the stabilisation of recognised occupancy in plantations, business enterprises and other points now in dispute and the present wave of actions for recovery attains nothing but additional discontent and retards further development. A mandatory date of land occupancy would satisfy the majority of the native people.

There is a crying need here for a forceful policy on cattle-raising and fishing. The former is being im plemented to a degree, but at Manus recently we found a general district demand, from all sections, for a fishing industry to be established that would bring great economic benefits to the district. This seems natural in an island community placed in a recognised fertile fishing area, but from what we could obtain, nothing has been done to assist Manus in any way.

A fishing industry established here would have an extensive market throughout mainland New Guinea and the Highlands. In addition, the costs of establishment would be comparatively cheap in comparison with a lot of other ventures in urban development.

Agricultural needs

Agriculture, we believe, is not balanced to the needs of the country.

The department has a lot of good, highly qualified specialists but is badly lacking in active field workers who are the mainspring of rural development. The proposal to recruit practical Australian farmers who would become residents in rural areas, and live and direct the peoples’ work, is offered as a more practical means of rural development than the present policy of keeping teams of scientifically qualified agricultural officers tied down in urban centres

wi th only occasional patrols outside. ot short duration.

Our argument is that if district administration, health and education officers are stationed permanently in rural and remote areas, why should posted^? nCU °® cers similarly We a!so advocate the formation fn/ com f ni «ee of Australian and P-NG members as a watchdog over territory affairs in Federal Parliament. The call for a Seventh 3 te ’ X rom some quarters, is out; and other calls for a changeover from management by the Depart- AflV ° f territories External Affairs would make little difference beyond Mr. Hasluck’s driving per sonality being felt again.

The possibility of elected territory representatives to Federal Parliament is also remote, but there is a need wh,vl onie t L Pe ,? f closer relationship which would allow the territory to afKV a y.° ice 1! ? national policies affecting the territory.

Executives

TCP executive consists of a chair man, two vice-chairmen, secretary and treasurer.

There are also two representatives from each district attached to the mam committee on liaison and organisation duties. As districts agree to join, other delegates will be ap pointed. At present we have six districts represented and others await ing decision. Tentative proposals have been made to Papuan districts which are still under discussion. if possible, we propose putting candidates into the election next year but we are prepared to support a peoples nominated candidate from each electorate who will speak on our platform proposals, the TCP executive concluded. nnOTEGEGIE, a tiny island in the A Gambier Group, 994 miles south east of Tahiti, is to be the site of an airstrip capable of handling inter national flights, according to Tahiti Press reports.

The reports say work started in late September on a 7,200-long run way, due to be completed next year.

French officials said an electric station and a water-distilling plant have already been built on Totegegie, which is part of French Polynesia, and members of the French Foreign Legion were building the airstrip.

Totegegie is about two and a half miles long by about 175 yards wide.

TTie Gambier Group lies to the west of Mururoa Atoll, centre of the French atomic proving grounds.