Phosphate Within

Six Months

Australia to Take Over Ocean Is. and Nauru

IT was announced in Canberra on August 21, that Nauru and Ocean Island would be garrisoned by Aus tralian troops as part of Australia’s post war responsibility in the South-West Pacific area.

Nauru was formerly a League of Nations Mandate entrusted jointly to Great Britain, Australia and New Zea land, but was administered from Aus tralia.

Ocean Island was part of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony, administered through the High Commission for the Western Pacific.

Interviewed in Auckland on August 27, Sir Albert Ellis, New Zealand Commis sioner on the British Phosphate Commis sion, said: “We are hopeful that within six months after Nauru and Ocean Island are reoccupied we will be able to resume shipments of phosphate, but. it will be several years before we reach the pre war output of 1,250,000 tens.

“Aerial photography has revealed tre mendous damage on Nauru Island, but the damage on Ocean Island is not so bad.

“The Commissioners are fully aware that it is of the greatest, importance to New Zealand and Australia to resume shipments at the earliest possible date.”

Nauru and Ocean Island were occupied by the Japanese in mid-1942, but by that time most of the Europeans had been evacuated from both islands. Those who elected to remain with the natives were: (on Nauru) the Administrator. Lieut.- Colonel Chalmers, Dr. B. H. Quin, Mr.

A. P. Lloyd, Mr. F. F. Harmer, and Mr.

W. H. Doyle; (on Ocean) Mr. C. G. F.

Cartwright'(Government Secretary), and three others. Nothing has been heard from any of these men since the Japanese landed.

In 1943, Nauru was put on the bomb ing schedule of the American Air Force.

No explanation has been forthcoming as to why the Americans by-passed Ocean Island to do this, but it was thought that either the Japanese were trying to work phosphate on Nauru or had constructed air-strips on the island.

It would, on the other hand, be almost impossible to construct landing-grounds on Ocean Island, which is devoid of coastal strips; and it was reported at the time of the general European eva cuation that demolition work had been carried out there, thus rendering the equipment for working the phosphate useless. There was no report of pre invasion demolition on Nauru.

As has been pointed out in the “PIM” on several occasions since Pearl Harbour, Japan, too, is in desperate need of phos phate. Pre-war she imported about one million tons —mostly from Makatea.

Makatea, in French Oceania, has been working at full pressure for the Allies: and American bombing, plus the Allied blockade, have deprived Japan of any phosphate she might have got by her mid-1942 invasion of Nauru and Ocean.