Trusteeship Council

Following the recommendation in the report of the Committee on Administrative Unions and the subsequent resolution of the Trusteeship Council passed during its seventh session, a Standing Committee on Administrative Unions was established. It held its first meeting at Lake Success on August 18, 1950 at which time the delegate of Argentina (Munoz) was elected chairman. The other members serving on the committee were New Zealand (Laking), Philippines (Aquino) and the United States (Gerig). A resolution was passed by the committee at its second meeting requesting the Secretariat to prepare an informal paper on the terms of reierence of the committee. The report of the Secretariat, based on the resolution of the Trusteeship Council and the report of the Committee on Administrative Unions, was submitted on August 24, 1950 and recommended that the committee might wish to 1) give attention to measures taken in respect to the limitation and duration of the legislative powers of the High Commission and of the East Africa Central Legislative Assembly which would cease to have effect on January 1, 1950, 2) determine whether administering authorities would continue to furnish clear and precise separate financial, statistical and other data relating to the trust territories participating in administrative unions, 3) give attention to the judicial systems of New Guinea and the Cameroons, 4) give attention to the possibility of attaining greater participation of the indigenous population in legislative activities in New Guinea, 5) consider whether the allocation of legislative powers between the East Africa Central Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Assembly of Tanganyika would be conducive to the advancement of the trust territory and an attainment of the objectives of the trusteeship system, 6) examine the extent to which the administering authorities regarded the desires of the inhabitants in matters relating to the administrative unions, 7) examine the extent to which the administering authorities facilitated the work of visiting missions of the United Nations, and 8) study any modification of the boundaries, separate status, and identity of trust territories participating in administrative unions. The resolution of the Trusteeship Council also charged the committee with the duty of ensuring that the administering authorities expended on the administration, welfare and development no less than the total amount of revenue derived from the trust territory in a given year.