Who Owns Christmas Is.

Copra?

A STRANGE situation seems to have developed in conection with the ownership of the plantations on Christmas Island, which is part of the Gilbert &' Ellice Islands Colony.

When the late Father Rougier retired from his charge as a Catholic missionary in Fiji, and took over the administration of important properties in the central and eastern Pacific, with headquarters in Tahiti, he held among other things a 99 years’ lease over Christmas Island. This property was administered along with other interests he controlled in the neigh bouring islands of Washington and Fan ning.

When World War II spread over the Pacific, these arrangements were more or less disorganised and somehow—just how has not been explained—the Gilbert & Ellice Islands Government took charge of the Christmas Island coconut plantations, which have an area of 15,000 acres. Sixty Gilbertese labourers, working under the direction of the Government Agent on Christmas Island, Major A. D. Sinclair, recently produced 700 tons of copra in 11 months, worth about £25,000.

Meanwhile there has arrived in Tahiti a Monsieur and Madame Calamy.

Madame Calamy is a sister of Monsieur Emmanuel Rougier, who apparently is the heir of the late Father Rougier and who therefore is the owner of the lease of Christmas Island.

Their representative has written to the editor of the “Pacific Islands Monthly” asking for the name of the “Australian firm” which has been running the Christ mas Island plantation in the absence of Monsieur Rougier. They wish to know who has been managing the coconut plan tation during World War 11, how much copra was produced and what became of it. The “PIM” of course could only refer the enquirer to the Secretary of the West ern Pacific High Commission in Suva, Fiji.

It does appear extraordinary that the nominal owners of the lease of Christmas Island should not have been aware of what has happened on the island in recent years in the production of the now valuable copra.