Papua Administrator To Retire

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31049, 3 May 1966, Page 13

Papua Administrator To Retire

(N.Z. Press Association) PORT MORESBY, May 1. Brigadier Sir Donald Cleland, Administrator of the Territories of Papua and New Guinea, will retire , on December 31. Sir Donald Cleland, who will be 65 in June, has been Administrator for 13 years. In a surprise announcement released simultaneously in Canberra and Port Moresby today, the Minister for Territories, Mr C. E. Barnes, said Sir Donald Cleland had expressed a wish to retire at the end of this year, and the Government had agreed to his request. No pressure existed in Papua-New Guinea at present for radical political changes, the Administrator, Sir Donald Cleland, said. The political future of the territory was “good and

solid” and he was confident the transition to eventual independence would be smooth and regular. He said: “The idea of Papua-New Guinea becoming a seventh state of Australia is completely impractical both from the point of view of the Australian people and also for Papua-New Guinea.” Sir Donald Cleland said he felt Papua-New Guinea would gain its independence first and work out its future association with Australia from there.

Park Visitors.—lt was estimated that about 46,000 persons visited Mount Cook National Park last year, Mr N. S. Coad, chairman of the park board, said in his annual report. About 12,000 had made inquiries or some use of the park headquarters.