[?]w Caledonia’s Jap

Property Discussed

former Japanese properties in New Caledonia (sequestrated in 1941) are put up to auction r will pass into the hands of ions or interests who already nearly 90 per cent, of the id’s good land, claims M. irice Lenormand, who sent an rnative proposal to the Minister Overseas France. . Lenormand, who represents Caledonia in the Chamber of uties at Paris, maintains that he former Japanese properties i into the control of various [thy firms or landlords, valuable [ will be added to New donia’s already large non-pro ;ive areas. , Lenormand proposes: ) The best of the Japanese terties should be acquired by Government, which should e the land available, under t control, to, say, farming [lies recruited in France and [ families who want to settle he land. Part of these proper could go to tribesmen who lot find sufficient land in the il confines. ) Properties close to tribal s should be incorporated in e areas. Some of the Japanese

holdings, M. Lenormand points out, were originally part of native con cessions which were taken over by the Administration and leased.

These, he suggests, should go back into native reserves. (3) Properties near country villages could be made available, under easy terms and subject to control by the agricultural organisa tions, to young married Europeans in those villages. (4) Families whose Japanese fathers were interned, but who are themselves French subjects, lost their rights in sequestrated proper ties if the land was held in the name of the Japanese father. M.

Lenormand suggests that, as a matter of justice these families should have their properties re stored to them.

Meanwhile, two inspectors from the Ministry of Finance have been investigating all cases of sequestra tion of Japanese property. —Noumea Correspondent. t Norfolk Islanders’ petition to the Queen, which did not get past Can berra, “brought to light the in teresting and somewhat disturbing fact that Australian citizens are no longer able to appeal direct to their Sovereign,” comments a Sydney Bulletin contributor. The Governor- General told the petitioners that under the Australian Constitution he was empowered to deal with such

petitions himself. Accordingly, he had handed it over to his Ministers and was “not pleased to forward the petition to Her Majesty.” t When the Dutch immigrant liner Zuiderkruis, bound for New Zea land with 1,000 passengers, called at Papeete in May, the vessel was placed in quarantine to the bitter disappointment of all aboard. There were three cases of measles aboard.