By-passed Phosphate

Islands Produce of Nauru and Ocean Is.

Now Wanted in South

WINSTON TURNER, one of the few war correspondents who, travelling through the Pacific Islands, really understood the Pacific’s political and eco nomic set-uo, published recently a long article in Sydney “Sun”—“Return of Islands Would be a Boon to Our Farmers.”

He pointed out that the richest gift which the Allies could make to Austra lian farmers would be the restoration of the phosphate industry of Nauru and Ocean Island. Australia normally used 1,000,000 tons per annum of this non organic fertiliser; and most of the needs of Australia and New Zealand were sup plied from the two islands. Now, the two countries are being severely rationed on superphosphate, and the reaction upon food production is serious.

The Japs occupied both Ocean Island and Nauru in the early part of 1942. In the past year, they have been driven so' far north of the equator that there seems no serious obstacle in the way of the re-occupation of both islands (which lie close together, right ,on the equator).

But re-occupation does not appear to be part of the strategic plan agreed upon by Washington and London. The urgent needs of the farmers upon the food front seem to have been overlooked.

The huge installations on both phos phate islands were demolished when we withdrew; and the Japs, who urgently need phosphate, have made no attempt to work the deposits. They do not seem to have done anything on Ocean Island: but it is known that they have used Nauru as a staging base, have constructed an airfield and barracks there, and mounted guns on the coast.

JAPAN had nursed a grievance over Nauru for 27 years (says Winston Turner). She missed getting the island by only three days during the last war. On November 9, 1914, three days after HMAS “Melbourne” had landed an Australian detachment which took over from the Germans without firing a shot, a Japanese warship and transport appeared, but sheered off when the Aus tralian flag was sighted.

In March, 1942, some 200 employees of the British Phosphate Commission were evacuated from Ocean and Nauru under the noses of the Japanese, after destroy ing what remained of the installations — the locomotives and electric trains, the cantilever loading system, the drying units and storage bins, the electric power station, huge refrigeration plant and water condensing plants.

The natives remained. There were some 1,600 of them before the war. Their spirit and loyalty were indicated when they offered £lO,OOO for the war effort against Germany. This amount they spe cified, was to be paid in sterling. When it was suggested to them that a fifth of that amount would be adequate for such a small community, their indignant response was immediately to remit £12,500 in Australian currency.

WHEN evacuation was ordered in 1942, certain officials remained vol untarily to meet the Japs and help the natives—the Administrator of Nauru (Colonel Chalmers), and the Govern ment Secretary on Ocean Island (Mr. C.

G. F. Cartwright) being among them.

Their fate is unknown.