Australia

New Caledonia and Australia "We Must Pull Along Together"

ONE of the interesting personalities of the Western Pacific, Monsieur Nicholas Hagen, of Noumea, and his daughter, Mile. Alix Hagen (of the staff of the French Consulate-General, Sydney) were guests of the Pacific Islands Society on August 28.

In a short address to members, M.

Hagen traced the history of New Cale donia from the arrival of Cook, at Balade. in 1774, until the present day, when it is' one of the busy cross-roads of the Pacific —particularly since Pan American Airways established a base at Noumea, on the new South Pacific air-mail ser vice, from San Francisco to Auckland.

Economically, the mining industry comes first, he continued. Ten per cent, of the world’s nickel supply comes from the New Caledonian mines, and the chrome ore content is the richest in the world. Many other mineral deposits are also being exploited, including iron ore, manganese, cobalt, antimony, copper and lead. Besides mining, other valuable industries may be found on the cigar shaped island, which is about one-third the size of Tasmania. Large tracts of kauri pine—a similar type of wood to the famous New Zealand kauri —have formed the basis of a flourishing export industry and, in recent years, consign ments of kauri logs have been arriving in Australia. Some of these trees have a girth of 30 to 32 feet. Another tree commonly met with is the niaouli, the leaves of which are distilled, giving an oil similar to eucalyptus.

The Colony has large herds of cattle and, during the last war, canned beef from New Caledonia fed Australian troops in Egypt and Palestine. The quality of this beef is well thought of, added M.

Hagen, probably because of the miner alised pastures.

Many years ago, two pairs of deer were brought into the Colony from Java. They multiplied to such an extent that to-day there are about 300,000 deer on the island.

Over 75,000 were shot last year, and their hides exported. These hides always seem to retain their high value, said M. Hagen, and this partly offsets any loss a planter may suffer if his other crops are not do ing so well. The large coffee crop usually goes to France, but with that market now cut off, this product probably will find its way to Australia.

The Government looks after the New Caledonian natives very well, and most children are taught to read and write French. A reserve for natives has been created in the Loyalty Islands —a group of 800 square miles, east of New Cale donia—and officials strictly maintain the rule which does not allow Europeans to live there.

Referring to the New Hebrides. M.

Hagen said that although some people chose to call it the “Pandemonium”, he found that the British and French got along very well under the dual govern ment. When in London, some time ago, he was asked how the system was work ing, and the best reply he could give was to quote the following story, which indicates the spirit of the Condominium; One hot Saturday afternoon, in Vila (the administrative headquarters of the Group), an Englishman decided to go for a drive. A French planter, who lived out of the town, also decided he would take a trip to Vila. Merrily they bowled along —the Englishman keeping well to the left, which is the British way, and the Frenchman to the right, according to French law. Unfortunately, they were coming in opposite directions. The re sult: a collision. Both men extricated themselves from the tangle and surveyed

one another. “Well, I was on my right side”, said the Frenchman; and the Englishman replied, “So was I! Oh, well, this is a Condominium!” And they ad journed to the local hotel to drink one another’s health in jugs of beer!

“The French people of New Caledonia have a warm feeling of friendship for Australians. If anything happens, we look to Australia for help. To-day, the Colony exports nickel matte to the Com monwealth, and thus credits are built up, and we can purchase goods here. Both geographically and politically, the two countries are tied close together, and I have always held the opinion that it would be the most natural thing for New Caledonia to come under Australian rule. We have to be between the one set of shafts and pull along together”, M.

Hagen concluded, amid applause.

Major H. Hunt, formerly of Fiji, died recently in an Auckland hospital in N.Z.