Island

Nauru And Ocean

News Anxiously Awaited

THERE is no news of what has happened to the European communities—all men—left on the Central Pacific phosphate islands of Nauru and Ocean Island.

Practically since the outbreak of war. these two valuable industrial establish ments have been bombed at intervals by Japanese fliers from the Marshall Islands but little damage was done, and it was hoped that all these Europeans would be evacuated, in the event of the Japanese coming south.

TTie Japanese, however, are now at Kavieng and Rabaul, far to the south westward of Nauru and Ocean Island and it is presumed that the European communities there have been cut off.

Those who know the general character of Japanese strategy expect that Japan will try to seize and occupy the two valuable islands.

The general manager of the British Phosphate Commission, which works the two islands, stated publicly on February 5 that “action had been taken to make the plants at Nauru and Ocean Island useless to the Japanese, if the islands should be occupied by them”.

Mrs. Louise Ryder, widow of the late Mr. Ben. Ryder, shipwright, of Suva, Fiji, died on December 30, aged 68. She was the mother of Mrs. Flemons (Lautoka), Mrs.

A. Mason (Suva), Misses Margaret, Rose and Esther Ryder (Suva), and Mr. Frank Ryder (Penang).

Mesdames Louis Page, Bernard Black well, and Leslie Love, of Vila, New Hebrides, recently arrived in Sydney.

Mr. L, H. Wilkinson, of Misima, Papua, arrived in Australia in January, and was accepted for service in the RAAF. He expects his call-up shortly.