Caledonia

Notes From New

From Our Own Correspondent.

Noumea, Oct. 1.

THE annual re-urlion of La Societe Sportive de la Nouvelle Caledonie was held at Majenta with great success on Sep tember 13.

Monsieur J. Mary was the proud winner of the grand prix with the imported horse Orion, five years, bred by the well-known Australian studmaster, Mr. Reynolds, and ridden by the Australian jockey, Solomons.

Mr. Burkard has become associated with the proprietors of a nickel mine at Saint Louis and is much occupied in its de velopment. This, no doubt, will detain him in New Caledonia for a much longer period than he anticipated.

Our new Governor, M. Marchesson is ex pected at the end of December, coming via Suez. His Excellency, the present Go vernor, M. Siadous, will leave in January.

The Minister for Foreign Aftairs in Paris has sent a request to the Japanese Government to repatriate the many Japan ese poachers of trochus shell, now isolated in Noumea.

Le Banque de ITndo Chine, which is the only bank that operates in Noumea, has closed its doors during the present monetary crisis. This necessarily must cause a great deal of inconvenience in business circles.

Mr. and Mrs, Enoch Perkins, who have paid an extended visit to the mines in the north, have returned to Noumea. Mrs.

Perkins leaves by the Van Rees on October 7. Mr. Perkins, when his work is finished, will follow at a later date.

Two splendid days of deer-shooting were arranged for the men of H.M. New Zea land warship Leith, which arrived the week before H.M.A.S. Canberra, and whose commander paid his homage to the Marts de la Grande Guerre by laying a wreath at the foot of the monument. The Leith left for Norfolk Island and New Zealand on September 26. The commander, three officers, and five marines were motored to a point just off the coast of Bouloupari and conveyed by launch to the.little island of Lepredour. After the deer (cerf, as they are always termed here) were rounded up by natives and dogs, the kill was consid erable. What always strikes a newcomer as a feat of strength is the way so many of these hardy young bushmen throw a deer across their shoulders and carry him a considerable distance.

Deer are so numerous that they have become a great pest in this country.

This hunt was again repeated for the officers of the Canberra. For those who preferred a gun, good duck shooting was provided on a property some 40 miles from Noumea.

The Canberra arrived in Noumea on Saturday morning, September 26, coming from Queensland, and remaining till Thurs day. October 1. A very full programme of entertainment including balls, shooting, boxing and football, in which the ship’s crew fully participated, was arranged in their honour. The ball, arranged by Le Cercle Militaire, was a marked success on Monday, September 28. Both officers and midshipmen seemed to find the French girls with their softly-modulated voices very alluring.

Mr. Archibald Gardner, of the staff of Messrs. Burns Philp (S.S.) Co. Ltd., has gone to Levuka, Fiji, to take charge of the branch there. Mr. Gardner returned to Sydney in October from a lengthy trip abroad. He was the firm’s representative at Rotumah. (Fiji) for three years.