Growing Importance of

Place In Pacific Defence Growing Importance of N. Caledonia

Prom Our Own Correspondent NOUMEA. April 21.

GIVING the lie to the wishful thinking of Rome radio, New Caledonia, in the face of recent events and threats, presents a united front, with the British Dominions, with whom she is more than ever determined to co-operate, in the defence of the Western Pacific, to fulfil her part of the obligations mutually entered upon after the Wellington Con ference, when Axis aggression brought the war near in Europe.

Besides many volunteers, European and

native, now in training and ready when properly equipped, to join an expedition ary force, the Colony recently has taken certain important steps relating to her air and sea defences.

The present position stresses this hitherto inconspicuous island’s new stra tegic importance at the gateway to the eastern (or most important) half of the Australian continent; or (as a New Zea lander might think of it) as the north ernmost tip of the equilateral triangle formed by Noumea, Auckland and Syd ney. It seems just as necessary that Australia, or Australia and New Zealand between them, should acquire naval and air base facilities here as that the United States should have bases in the British West Indies.

The people here would welcome such a move. The war, and particularly the les son of Indo-China, has taught them that isolation may mean outside aggression and internal dissension.

ALTHOUGH this is—and is likely to remain—a French Colony, the people here know now that the whole prob lem of their defence is linked with that of Australia, with whom they now are so closely associated in trade and neighbourliness. Being true colonials, they believe in the democratic way of life, as they live it themselves and as they see it lived in Australia.

It is even possible that a real Demo cratic New Caledonian Party may be born here, as an outcome of the war, counterbalancing the hitherto para mount political and administrative con trol exercised by big business and fonc tionnaires sent out from France. There certainly is a growing desire for a big ger share of self government after the war.

AS we are only five hours’ flight from Brisbane and seven from Auckland, and but little more from Suva, the possibility of utilising seaplane and land aerodromes around Noumea and on the east coast is receiving much attention.

Mr. W. S. Robinson, of London, man aging director of Zinc Corporation Ltd., recognised Noumea’s claim last Septem ber when, visiting Australia on an im portant mission, he said: “The geograph ical position of Noumea’s magnificent harbour dominates the South Pacific, and the control of New Caledonia is of vital importance to Australia, New Zealand, the Fijian Islands and the Mandated Territories.”

While much is being done in relation to aviation and the wider strategical pic ture in the Pacific, even more has been done in organising, in New Caledonia itself, a very good system of defence and reconnaissance.

Since President Roosevelt’s last speech, and the “aid to Britain” vote, the wire less station Radio Noumea (which can be heard by Australian and New Zea land listeners) plays “The Star Spangled Banner”, in addition to the “Marche Lor raine” and “God Save the King”.

The new American Consul, Karl Mac- Vitty. is probably the most travelled man now living in Noumea, and the one with the best first-hand knowledge of inter national politics. He knows intimately all the European capitals, and has worked in many of them, as well as in places as wide apart as Persia, Amoy and NZ.

DISCIPLINARY action has been taken against one or two more fonction naires for trying to discourage con tributions to de Gaulle funds. As a mat ter of fact, they have been “sacked”. Two officials sent into exile a month or two back for Fifth Column gossip are now interned at a special camp.

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Some little time back, typewritten pos ters emanating from the indiscriminate Fifth Column element were found stuck up on Noumea walls, reading:— “Attention, Comrades . . . The country’s treasury is empty and they are empty ing the Post Office Savings Bank. It is time to act!”

The Governor will take the severest measures against the perpetrators of this document, should they be discovered.

How untrue the allegations are is shown by the Post Office Savings Bank returns for the month of March, which reveal an increase in deposits from 23,126,660 to 23,963,894 francs. This is an excellent barometer of the country’s confidence, for the bank numbers 17,000 depositors in a white and native population of 60,000, of whom the vast majority are natives far away from and unlikely to make use of banking facilities.

mHERE is great satisfaction among the JL island’s coffee planters at this week’s announcement confirming the Commonwealth Government’s guar antee to purchase the whole of the Cale donian coffee crop which remains unsold through ordinary trade channels. The Commonwealth is now being requested to make just one more guarantee—regard ing the fixation of a price that, under present conditions, may be called rea sonable and satisfactory.

Monsieur Dewez, French manager and member of the Board of the Nickel Com pany, who has now ended a month’s stay, is optimistic about the country’s future.

He is the first Frenchman to come here since France collapsed—an arrangement made possible because both Vichy and London were agreeable to his visit.

In New York, he fixed the purely war time deal by which INCO (The Interna tional Nickel Corporation of Canada) will take New Caledonia’s nickel pro duction of some 10,000 tons of matte at American ruling prices—which are, how ever, much below those which formerly ruled in Europe, It is only by such an arrangement that New Caledonia can be kept going; and, now it is through, he hoped that the Noumea smelters will be able to bring their third furnace into use. For some time only two have been working, as the most Australia could guarantee to pur chase was between 450 and 550 tons of mattes per month. These stocks, of course, go to America. “Maybe we shall go in for refining our matte here at Noumea, instead of sending it to the east coast of America, as this would save freight and other expenses,” Mr. Dewez said.