Colonies

France’S Pacific

Future of Trade and Currency Values

A RECENT article in the Paris review, “L’Alliance Nouvelle Union Fran caise,” entitled “New Caledonia, A Paradise Lost by the French taut Coveted by Foreigners,” has started the usual exchange of compliments between Metro politan Frenchmen, and French residents of New Caledonia.

Lieut-Colonel Bichon, who represents the Colony on the Council of the French Union, in entering the discussion, denies that New Caledonia is “decadent,” though he admits it is a little behind Europe in some matters. He reminds certain critics that he can leave his car outside all night, unlocked and unattended, with out fear of gangsters: and he declares that the New Caledonian community has less filth and a greater addiction to in dividual baths, than may be found in communities of similar size in France.

M. Bichon ridicules the Metropolitans’ fear of Anglo-Saxon economic influence, and argues that it is no use ignoring the facts of geographical position and lack of overseas exchange.

“Why should our chrome not be sold to the United States?” he asks. “Does not the freeing of exchange tend to free our production from national limitations? Is France not on excellent terms with the United States?”

As was pointed out in June, certain interests in France are uneasy concerning the strong economic bonds created in the war and post-war periods between the French Pacific colonies and the con tiguous countries of United States and Australia. They resent the fact that the Pacific franc is much more valuable than the Metropolitan franc.

Since then, New Caledonia has been assured, both by Senator Larfleur and M.

Bichon, that there is no likelihood of any attemnt to modify the Pacific franc in relation to the Parisian franc, and that the future of the franc depends entirely on Governmental decisions and not on 'the views of the French Union.