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Vacant

From Denis Fisk In Port

Moresby

Notice of his retirement in

April by Assistant Administrator

of Papua-New Guinea, Mr.

Leslie Wilson Johnson, wrenched cries of disbelief from all sides; and cynical charges that the dead hand of Canberra had once again done its work. Two top public servants, Mr. Alan McCasker, economic advisor to the ad ministrator, and Commissioner of Police R. W. Whitrod, have also given notice of quitting.

The economic adviser has been in the territory for five years and is a permanent member of the Dept, of External Territories, Canberra. He will return there when his current contract with the P-NG Administra tion expires in April.

Police Commissioner Whitrod has been in P-NG less than a year. He was appointed last April to succeed Mr. Robert Cole. He will become Police Commissioner in Queensland.

Although all three resignations are serious for the territory in its pre sent state of political flux, that of Mr. Johnson caused the most com ment. He was apnointed Assistant Administrator (Services) in 1966 to succeed Dr. John Gunther.

Since then he has been regarded

as one of the “straight shooters” in the Administration’s top echelons, and one obviously devoted to the' people s and the Territory’s causes.

He announced on January 8 that he was taking another job, “for per sonal reasons”. It was soon known that he had been appointed principal of the Tasmanian College of Ad vanced Education.

Within hours of his resignation, 48 out of the 94 members of the House, gathered in Port Moresby for an emergency session, had sent a telegram to the Minister for External Territories, C. E. Barnes, asking for Johnson’s retention.

But two filled

Mr. Johnson is a West Australian.

He had a distinguished career in the education department there until appointed Director of Education P-NG in 1962, a position he held until he became Assistant Adminis trator (Services) in 1966.

The long expected announcement of the appointment of P-NG Assist ant Administrator (Economic Affairs) was made on January 16.

The position went, of course, to Mr. A. P. J. Newman, who has been acting in the post since the death of Mr. F. C. Henderson last year.

Mr. Newman’s old post of P-NG Treasurer went to Mr. J. E. Ritchie who has been acting in that capacity since Mr. Newman took over in the Administrator’s Dept.

Mr. L. W. Johnson.