THE SOUTH PACIFIC COMMISSION

Wanganui Chronicle, 14 April 1949, Page 5

THE SOUTH PACIFIC COMMISSION

N.Z. Representatives Appointed AUCKLAND, Last Night (PA).— The Minister of External Affairs, Mr. Fraser, announced tonight, that the Government had appointed Mr. C. G. R. McKay, formerly secretary of Island Territories, as senior New Zealand Commissioner, and Lieut.-Col. F. W. Voelcker, who has just completed his term of office as High Commissioner of Western Samoa, as the other New Zealand Commissioner on the South Pacific Commission. The Commission is due to hold its third session commencing on May 7 in Noumea, New Caledonia, where it has now established its headquarters. The New Zealand delegation to the third session will comprise Mr. McKay. Lieut.-Col. Voelcker, and Mr. R. H. Wade, Assistant Official Secretary of the Office of the High Commissioner for New Zealand, Canberra, as adviser. Both of the New Zealand Commissioners have had wide experience of islands administration, and are familiar with social and economic problems of the South Pacific, with which the Commission has to deal. Lieut.-Col. Voelcker, who relinquished his duties as High Commissioner of Western Samoa on February 23, is now on furlough in the United States and will proceed direct to Noumea in time for the opening of the third session. “The New Zealand Government,” added Mr. Fraser, “are confident that the South Pacific Commission can contribute in a constructive and objective way to the solution of many common problems which face the Governments administering island peoples of the South Pacific.” A comprehensive tour of the administrative centres of the South Pacific has recently been undertaken by members of the Research Council of the Commiss’on 1o familiarise themselves with the needs and problems of island peoples, and of their administrations.