THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES Saturday, August 10, 1946. AUSTRALIA AND NEW GUINEA

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26227, 10 August 1946, Page 6

THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES Saturday, August 10, 1946. AUSTRALIA AND NEW GUINEA

The statement by Mr Chifley that Australia was insisting on complete and exclusive control of New I Guinea was simply a Reiteration of a policy which had already been expounded by Dr Evatt, the Minister of External Affairs, and it seems likely that when the question of trusteeships r is discussed by the United Nations there will be considerable sympathy for th§ Australian claim. It is not yet clear whether Australia will press her requests for trusteeship over the whole island. It was recently suggested that Australia would attempt to negotiate the transfer of Western New Guinea, which is held by the Dutch, to Australian trusteeship in return for the British possessions in the archipelago. The practical difficulties confronting such a transfer may, however, prove insuperable. The recent nationalist disturbances in Java emphasised the somewhat precarious nature of Netherlands sovereignty in certain parts of the East Indies, and the Dutch are not likely to view with favour any proposal that would further weaken their unstable empire. Because of the undeveloped character of the territory of Western New Guinea the Japanese did not consolidate their conquest there, but it is potentially so rich in natural resources that its exploitation cannot be long delayed. New Guinea is regarded in Australia as an essential link in the chain of islands forming a defensive arc- which must be maintained if the. Commonwealth is to survive as a white nation. This arc extends from Timor, through New Guinea, New Britain, the Solomon Islands, the New Hebrides, New Caledonia and Norfolk Island. The largest island, and that most vital in, any defence scheme, is New Guinea. The western half of the island is Dutch territory. Little has been done to exploit its riches, and huge areas are as backward to-day as they were centuries ago. The eastern half is again divided, .the southern section being the Australian terri--tory of Papua while the northern is held by the Commonwealth under a “C” class mandate. The weaknesses of this form of control became apparent after the Japanese launched their southern drive in January, 1942. Dutch New Guinea lay helpless in their path and the mandated territory, which under the terms of the mandate could not be fortified, was over-run. Parts of Papua were occupied and it was only the battle of the Coral Sea, in .which a whole invading force was wiped out, that prevented the enemy from occupying Port Moresby, the springboard to the Australian continent. Australia is determined never again to be caught at such a disadvantage, and her spokesmen have made this clear in all discussions affecting the Pacific. Dr Evatt, in a recent speech on foreign affairs, stated that any agreement would be acceptable to Australia only if the Commonwealth were granted the exclusive administering authority in the present mandates. - The United Nations Charter, he said, provided that the trusteeship agreement might designate any trust territory as a strategic area, and Australia would accordingly ask for the right to establish bases in the mandates. The strategic necessity of maintaining bases well to the north of the mainland is recognised in New Zealand as well as in Australia, and the Commonwealth should be assured of the support of her partner in the Canberra Pact when the proppsal is made to the United Nations.