PAPUAN AFFAIRS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 203, 21 May 1908, Page 7

PAPUAN AFFAIRS.

THE POSITION .OP . .ADMINISTRATOR. . BY|TELEGRAJPH—rjRESB ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT. .. • London, Ma)r 19. ,' Iri''the Hou'so of Commons, Mr. HennikerHcaton (Conservative v ljiomber. 'for.'. Canterbury), called -attention to the unsatisfactory state of affairs in Papua, Now Guinea. Ho. if an officer, of proved ability could bo' appointed, as administrator. , i i>■ Colonel. Seely, for the; Colonies, replied that no.'official.information as to tho. appointment of ail administrator had, bpch He. adiled that tho mat- , ter rested with the Conuiion^ealth'. Government. '

THE NEW UNDER-SECRETARY. '■ It is, perhaps, a coincidence .that. Colonel Seely, the new Under-Secretary for the Colonie's, is"like, his'predecessor," Mr. AVinstori"Churchill,, an ex-Unionistwho' left his.' party-' and'- j'bm'ed the Liberals,"largely,.'oiring-toVthe fisftal'split? 'The .Chinese; .-labour., policy jf- the' ; Balt'our Government, holpp.d tp estrange, Col 1 . Seeley from tlieni, and in' 1904 hb-resigned his seat;(lsle of Wight), for " which ho had bean Selected iii .1900 as 'a' Unionist' by' 'a:'largo7ih'ajo'rityr The phalleiigo was'nqt acccpfcd, .and Isle of returned Col. Seely unclosed. ,'At the 'general ejections in 1?06; ho stopd for, Abercromby division of Liverpool;; which, in a ''contest, returned hiiri' Ky a majority over the Unionist ■ca.iidi(late of 0n1y.199. 'At thb same-time, in «me neighbouring' city' of Mr.' 'Winston' Churclnll was, returned by. a : majority of; 1241 (since cancelled). \ '■ 'The 1 , "Pall Mall Gazetto.," whioh can liardlv be expected to enthuso over . iuv .ex-Unibiiisf, writes of Col. Scoly. as follows :~r" Lieut-Col. John Edward'..Bernard Seely is' the youngest son of' Sir. .ph'arles §eely, 'and was born in ,1S68: Educoted'r at Harro\v. and Trinity. College, Cambridge,' lie was called to. tho Bar at' the Inner/Temple in IS97.'' He is a colonel iii tho Hampshire 'Carabirilers,-' and was sw'virig with the Imporii\l Yepmaury. iii South Africa, when, in May',' 1900, Sir. Richard, Webster 'was' raised to the peerage, and a , vacancy occurred in the representation of'the Islo of'; Wight. In spite of his - absence—whicli''doubtless niado the electoral heart gi'ow fonder—and with the help of his wifo (who is the daughter. of Colonel tho , Hon. H. Crichton), Captain , Seely, as. ho then was, won-by a four-figure majority. The late Government, ho.wevpi', reason-to'bless liiin, for, after quarrelling with his party oyer tariff reform, lip niado himself sp~ consistently, disagreeable that, the general feeling : .iioi\' is that'ho is'more: in his elpiiient among his new friends; Colonel Sfely used --to he" a, member of'the Brooke, lifeboat: crew,, and, as such, recoivod the thanks of'tho ltymch Government', i uri#;'a> medal,' for.,aiding in-the resciio of a I French crew" shipwrecked 'oft' 'the. - Jiilo of AYight." , ■ ■ _; ; . . , With regard to the position of Administrator, of. Papuii, Mr. Deakiii stated early in : April, that a clean sVecp was being made, among the' officials -in Papua over tho recent iand scandals; he liopod to' obtain Sir Wm. MqcGregpr' iis Administrator. Sir Win. Mric : . Gregor is now, Governor of Newfoundland. Ho was Administrator of Papua for years,' iirid in this capacity, and as High 'Commissioner for, the Wpstorn Pacific,' showed himself to. bo a strong man.' ,