Noumea

Luxury Hotel At

PAA May Move From Me Nou Base

From Our Own Correspondent

Noumea, Oct. 2.

AN important matter now being dis cussed in USA with Pan American Airways by M. Dewez, director of the Societe le Nickel of New Caledonia, who at present is in New York, is the construction of a 100-room luxury hotel at Noumea, to be erected with local and American capital.

M. Dewez should return to Noumea at the end of this month and more will be heard of the project then. It certainly is good news for New Caledonia, for this Colony should become a busy post-war tourist centre, since it has attractions aplenty.

One wonders why Australian business men have for so long neglected the opportunity of building an up-to-date hotel here—it would have paid them handsomely in the end.

Noumea, especially since the trans pacific air route was inaugurated, has suffered sadly from the lack of modern accommodation. The manner of treat ing passing guests has sometimes been far removed from the tradition of French politeness; so that the general run of air travellers prefer to stay the night on PAA’s yacht, “Southern Seas”, anchored permanently in the harbour.

Connected with this news of a new hotel is the announcement that Pan American Airways are contemplating deserting the seaplane base at Paddon Bay, He Nou, on account of certain dis advantages, of which the nrevailing trade wind is one. They would move to a new base —Point Chaleix or the Orphe linat—on the mainland waters, not far from Noumea.

It is likelv that the projected hotel would be built facing the new base, with easy access for tourists who wished for an evening’s recreation either in the town or at the popular Anse Vata beach.

The scheme, which certainly looks attractive, has been in the wind for some time.

Mr. H. Hyde, chairman of directors of Gold and Power Ltd., returned to Sydney recently by airliner, after visiting a mining property at Watut, New Guinea.

He was accompanied by Mr. Jack Hinks, well-known Papua and NG mining man.