Officials

Resented By French

Sydney Newspaper’s Comments

STATEMENTS made in articles by ti Sydney Morning Herald’s speco correspondent at the South Pack Conference in April-May apparently gm offence to the representatives of Franc In particular, the French resented ti following statements:— • That it was only for reasons of prei tige that France was represented in ti South Pacific Commission and offerr facilities for establishing Headquarters ; Noumea. • That France had caused embarratf ment by insisting upon the use of ti French language in connection with Coic mission and Conference affairs. • That the French Colonial systed does not find favour with many nativi and that France “exploited” her Coloniij The Senior Commissioner of Fran on the South Pacific Commission.

Lassalle-Sere—who also represents Frenn establishments in Oceania in the Sensi of France—submitted to the Herald.

June, a very carefully prepared compili tion, in which each of these maij charges, and a number of minor accusj tions, were answered—and answer* logically and effectively. The Herald 6 not publish any of this material—althour it had given the widest possible publics to the original articles.

Probably, the chief reason for ti Herald’s discourteous treatment of one < the principal officials of France in ti Pacific area is that M. Lassalle-Sen statement ran to about 2,500 words: ai modern journalism refuses to give much space to anything, except sensj tional fiction or comic strips. It wou< not have been difficult to summarise : Lassalle-Sere’s points in a few hundn. words—indeed, ordinary journalistic fa* ness seemed to demand this, at least—tf the Herald chose to wholly ignore ti Senator’s reply.

IN his statement. M. Lassalle-Sere it sisted that France is most loyal the whole idea of the South Pacii* Commission, to which she originally sui scribed: that it was not for reasons prestige that Prance sought the establish ment of SPC headquarters in Noumea, fcf in order to encourage residents of ti French Colonies to become interested and to support the ideals of the Core mission: that the French have gone much trouble and undertaken considel able expense in suitably housing ti Commission and its staff in Noumea: ae that, on the subject of language, ti original Convention accepted French an official language of the Commissioi on a level with English—and yet only* minute section of the Commission’s doo< ments have been translated into Freno M. Lassalle-Sere says: “The artiif which shocked me most is the one whei your reporter claims that the Frenn Colonial system does not find favour wh many natives.” The Senator quotes mac facts and figures to show that the i digenous people of the French Territon are on the happiest possible terms wh the French administrations, and that thl enjoy a degree of ever-increasing politid liberty, and freedom from exploitation which will compare favourably with co> ditions in any similar Territory in ti world.

M. Lassalle-Sere made all these point effectively, and with commendate moderation of language.