Japanese In

Nauru

Administrator Would Not Leave

IN a message from New Zealand on October 14. reporting the timely dis covery in Otago of about 100,000,000 tons of good, workable, but low-grade phosphate (13 per cent, phosphatic acid content, compared with about 39 per cent, in Nauru and Ocean Island) the following paragraph occurs:— “As phosphate rock supplies from Nauru are now denied by Japanese occupation of the island formerly worked by the British Phosphate Commission, the newly-found deposit is of great national importance.”

This is the first public announcement that the enemy has occupied the island of Nauru, held since 1919 by Britain, Australia and New Zealand under a joint mandate.

There was a small European adminis trative staff on Nauru, appointed by Australia (which administers the man date), and a large European staff em ployed by the British Phosphate Com mission, which worked the phosphate deposits.

All European personnel were withdrawn from the island some months ago, except a couple of administrative officials and one or two men of the BPC service, who stayed to look after the plant. The administrative officials who remained included the Administrator, doughty Lieutenant-Colonel F. R. Chalmers, who would not desert the 1,700 Nauruan natives, of whom he has had charge since 1938. He, presumably, is now a prisoner in the hands of the Japanese.

Nauru will have no value to the enemy as a naval base—there is not even a sheltered anchorage—and, owing to the very broken nature of the surface, it is unlikely that a suitable landing-place for planes can be constructed there.