Pacific Islands Garden

Party

MRS. MARIE IRVINE, who writes of pioneer and other outstanding women, is also interested in the collection of rare and exquisite antiques.

Members of the Pacific Islands Society, late in October, accepted her hospitality and in ideal weather attended a garden party at her home in Double Bay, Syd ney.

There were representatives of most of the Empire countries at the party—cer tainly, someone from every Common wealth State and every corner of the Pacific—to inspect the cases of rare treasures and hear the story of prints and priceless crystal.

Th 6 president of the Society, Major C. A. Swinbourne, formerly of the G & E Islands administration, spoke in ap preciation of the party, and said what a pleasure it was for Islands people to meet and share such mutual interests.

Mrs. Irvine said that many of her household treasures had gone with the bombs in England, but she was pleased to have her guests share her interest in her antiques.

The five or six hundred bodies of US servicemen buried in the American cemetery three miles out of Noumea, New Caledonia, are being exhumed for reburial in the USA. the same is being done at other US cemeteries in the Pac ific.

New Caledonian economy is still on what one may call a war footing, with imports exceeding exports during the first seven months of the present year by over a hundred million francs. In spite of Newcastle coal, imports from the USA still exceed those from Aus-

tralia, though not by much. France is s tin ou t 0 f the race so far ag i m p or^s ronrerned but she took 191 million re concerned, but she took 121 million francs worth of the Colony s exports, mainly minerals for her reviving industries.