NEW GUINEA COUNCILS

Press, Volume C, Issue 29534, 8 June 1961, Page 14

NEW GUINEA COUNCILS

Questions In Commons (N Z.P.A -Reuter—Copyngnt) LONDON, June 6 The British Government has rejected a suggestion in the House of Commons that it was "inappropriate” for it to be represented at the inauguration of the new’ Legislative Councils in New Guinea. A Labour member, Mr Fenner Brockway, had asked on what grounds Britain was represented. He said an increasing number of Dutch politicians and businessmen, and British businessmen, were recognising that it was inevit-’ ’? that “West Irian" (Dutch West New Guinea! would become a part of Indonesia. Even America had refrained from sending an observer. “Would it not have been wdser to have abstained from this kind of action?” Mr Brockway asked. The Foreign Under-Secre-tary (Mr Joseph Godber) replied that Britain recognised the Netherlands as being the sovereign Power in this area He did not see why it should be inappropriate to isend representatives to a | celebration in honour of an i important step in the developj ment of this territory to- ' wards self-determination. Soviet Pressure Australia's New Guinea policy came under pressure from the Soviet Union in the United -Nations Trusteeship Council in New York yesterday. The Australian representative (Mr Dudley McCarthy* answered a series of Soviet questions on thtf future 61 the tract territory. -Asked to staW' tehother Australia envisaged self-deftWtMHtion nea eP M? m £c% fey that the Australite. ,:<Sbvernnsent was workwg w'wards self-determination and selfgovernment. Mr McCarthy said he could give no date. ; “To bear the voice of the people it is essential to give them the means for making their voice heard,” he said. 1