Port Moresby, 13 December 1968
9845.
Inclusion of dissident Raluana villages in Gazelle Peninsula Local Government
Council
I.D.C.C. considered a paper on this …
[ matter omitted ]1
Because next step will be preparation of a proclamation of new multi-racial council covering whole Gazelle, for A.E.C. consideration, I sought preliminary views of A.E.C. Some had reservations on the grounds of breach of voluntary principle but majority reaction was favourable2 … According to Toliman main reason for the dissidents not agreeing to come into the council was one of face. He thought that a new situation such as the present in which another major change was about to take place, mainly the inclusion of people of other races in a multi-racial council for the first time, would provide a face-saving cover for the village groups concerned. Also the consequential new elections could provide a change in the executive of the council and this too would ease the situation. It was therefore generally agreed that the proclamation setting up a multi-racial council and including the new areas should be proceeded with and presented to the A. E. C. for approval when ready.
I should be glad if you would bring this to the notice of the Minister. Please inform him that the present Gazelle council has been pressing hard for a change on these lines on the grounds that it is wrong for those who live in council areas and support the councils to pay tax for their services while those who live in the same areas (and the villages concerned are in the centre rather than in a separate corner on the margin) that do not support the council nevertheless receive the same services without paying taxes. There are other areas where the same could apply but where we would not judge it wise to proceed at the present. The Duke of York islands is one, the Hahalis area is another. We have of course considered what might happen if there should be resistance, particularly when the time came for the first tax collection. Against this fact is that at least forty percent of taxpayers in present council area are defaulting. The accent for public presentation of this move will of course be on the multi-racial character of the new council and the incorporation of the non-council areas will take second place.3
[NAA: A452, 1969/2889]
1 Matter omitted is a summary of Document 241.
2 Henderson expressed a dissenting view during the meeting. ‘Well, look’, he said, ‘you’re buying trouble. The Tolais are difficult’. According to Hay, Henderson believed that ‘it was better to leave the Gazelle situation in its unsatisfactory state and let [indigenes] sort it out after self-government’, while his own view was that ‘we should press the matter … particularly since this had been brought to my … notice by the Councillors during my visit to Rabaul [see Document 247], this was a matter which ought to be resolved, and I was impressed by the advice that had been received that any opposition could be handled’ (Hay interview, 1973–4, NLA: TRC 121/65, 4:2/13).
3 Action taken on the telex was recorded later in the following terms: ‘The Department was informed on 13th December 1968 of the intention of the Administration to include dissident Tolai villages in the Council area. This was referred to the Minister specifically because it breached the so-called voluntary principle. The Minister approved of this approach verbally and the Administrator was informed. In the same message the Administrator said that the next step would be to establish a multi-racial council [MRC] covering the whole Gazelle. It was stated that the presentation of the changes would be related to the change to multi-racial and no comment was made by the Department. Ministerial approval to the change to multi-racial was not sought or obtained as this represented no change in existing policy’ (minute, A.G. Kerr (Acting OIC, Government and Constitutional Section, DOET) to Warwick Smith, 12 September 1969, NAA: A452, 1969/4331). Notably, Barnes was a strong supporter of the council system. Earlier in the year, upon seeing an annual report on local government, the Minister had described the system’s evolution as ‘encouraging’ and had written: ‘I view with great importance the activities of Local Govt’ (marginal note of 8 January on minute, Besley to Barnes, 7 January 1969, NAA: A452, 1968/6080).