Electoral officer

trained himself out of a job

A crucial exercise in public and staff relations faces the New Guinea Administration, because of the pro motion of a native officer as Chief Electoral Officer. Papuan, Simon Kaumi, a former journalist, has been trained since 1966 by Chief Electoral Officer, R. R. Bryant, and his promotion now to Bryant's job makes Bryant the first European public servant here to literally work himself out of a job by training a local officer.

Kaumi has been provisionally promoted to Bryant’s position, and Bryant has been provisionally pro moted an Assistant Secretary in the new Department of Social Develop ment and Home Affairs . . . but both men have to go through the routine public service system of appeals against their promotions by those with longer service.

Kaumi cannot be seriously chal lenged. Bryant, however, joined the Administration only in 1954 and there are many still here with longer service—and one of them may beat Bryant, thus taking from him the Assistant Secretary’s job in the new department.

If this happens, the Administration will have to find a new position for Bryant—or quietly put him away in a job with a salary comparable to that of Chief Electoral Officer. If that happens, many of New Guinea’s Australian and other European public servants will see the training of native officers as a direct and serious danger to their own careers.

Already in some areas, some Aus tralians have started a go-slow on the training of local officers who might (through political preference) get their jobs. The outcome of the appeals against Bryant and the Administration decision on his future if he loses an appeal, will influence greatly a large number of Australian officers. —New Guinea News Service. • Following PlM’s story last month (February, p. 37) that the triton shell should be protected because of the menace of the crown of thorns star fish, on which the shell preys, the Fiji Government has acted swiftly.

Both the triton shell and another starfish-eater, the giant helmet shell, have been placed on the protected list and it is now an offence to take them from the reefs.