Displaced Eurasians Might Aid

Indo-China to Pacific?

French Policy In New Hebrides

INSTEAD of trying to settle several thousand Eurasians from Indo-China in New Caledonia—if there is any serious intention of doing so—the French Government should look rather towards the New Hebrides, where at least 300,000 hectares of land are owned by the French Government, say some New Caledonia people.

This opinion has been widely ex pressed in Noumea’s unofficial dis cussion centres, which have been striving to assimilate a crop of startling ideas.

The suggestion that New Caledonia may be regarded as a potential home for the displaced Eurasians has followed the reported possibility (September PIM, page 17) that 20,000 troops might conceivably be transferred from Indo-China to the Pacific Colony.

So far without Government con firmation or denial, the current widespread report is that the re settlement of the Eurasians was dis cussed at Noumea during the recent visit of French Parliamentarians.

THE consensus of local opinion is that such a move would be more than unfortunate for New Caledonia, particularly as most of

these Eurasians are believed to be without either capital or agricul tural or industrial training.

If about 10,000 (the figure com monly mentioned) such people were moved to New Caledonia, there would almost certainly be an abrupt rise in the cost of maintaining the public services, schools and health organisations.

Some Noumea commentators point out that if the Eurasians were taken to the New Hebrides (which are referred to as a natural zone for French expansion in the Pacific), the importance of France in the South Pacific would be in creased.

British Commonwealth reactions to such an argument presumably re main a subject for speculation, although the New Hebrides are technically as much British as French.