Caledonia

Strain In New

Bitter Fight Over Votes for Natives

Prom a Special Correspondent

Noumea, May 25

13HE war for the future political control of New Caledonia has aken an extraordinary turn, and hows no sign of ending.

The General Council always has lad a European majority, and ill will as been created because those Euro peans seemed to be dominated by lowerful commercial interests.

Towards the end of 1951, there ame before the French Parliament new Constitution for NC. The •ill, agreed to in the first instance, provided that the Council should omprise 16 members elected by iuropeans and 9 by natives.

The newly-elected, ardently pro ative Deputy for New Caledonia nd New Hebrides, M. Maurice Le ormand, a Noumea pharmacist, hallenged the Bill when it came up )r decision in the second instance; nd, with help from Centre and Lef st parties, it was rejected, 356 to 56. Lenormand then demanded a Dmmon roll for NC. The matter ent to a committee. Continuing flitical crises in France caused delay.

The term of the Council General cpired on January 19. The Colony as then without a Council.

After many weeks, the Chairman of ie former Council (M. Henri Bon saud, head of Etablissements Bal nde) flew to Paris, and returned in [ay with the announcement that the hamber of Deputies, by 325 to 198 )tes, had agreed to an extension of e term of the Council General.

But when M. Bonneaud reported is to his colleagues, and it was arned that the 325 votes included >out 100 Communists, the Council itly refused to carry on. They id they would not accept anything om the Reds. They strongly con sumed the agitation for the common >ll being carried on by M. Le )rmand, which they said would, if ccessful lead to the economic ruin New Caledonia.

Then, in a body, on May 19, they aced their resignations in the hands the Governor.

The only Councillor who did not sign is Father Bussy. This is an iportant fact as, presumably, he ces his instructions from the Roman itholic Bishop in Noumea. It is esumed, therefore, that the Church

is not opposing the common roll.

The political atmosphere is strained.

The future character of the adminis tration is uncertain. M. Lenormand is a centre of controversy. His friends say that, while he is strongly pro-native, and in favour of the common roll, he is not Communist.

Rather, he is fighting against control by commercial monopolies. But all leading Europeans condemn the idea of a common roll.

The chamber of Deputies, in Paris, is due to begin a debate on this very vexed situation on June 15.