Do You
p. 82 · Read in the full issue
Remember ?
German raiders in the Pacific (some of them had just knocked the stuffing out of Nauru), the serious short
age of shipping for copra, and
the building up of Polynesian
defence bases, were the main topics of news in the South Pacific 20 years ago. Here are some extracts from “PIM”
of February, 1941:
Pro-de Gaulle New Caledonia found itself with a nickel problem which was happily solved. With the collapse of France the colony’s market there was cut off, but there was one very eager buyer—Japan.
New Caledonia was reluctant to sell, although she needed the money.
Finally Governor Sautot reported that the US, and British countries, including Australia, would take the nickel and New Caledonia’s com mercial balance “would be com pletely secured”. * * * Said a report from Papeete: Everything is running very smoothly here under present conditions. All elements sympathetic to the Vichy Government have been eliminated. « * * A lot of ill-feeling had been stirred up in Tonga when a judge sentenced C. S. Ramsay, of Tin Can Island fame, to six months imprisonment for the theft of a puppy. The puppy had wandered away from its native owner, and when it appeared at Ramsay’s home he fed and cared for it.
There were allegations that Ramsay didn’t get a fair hearing. * * * Mormon missionaries were being mysteriously withdrawn from French Oceania and Tonga, and no reasons given, according to a report from Papeete. * * * In Pago Pago, building of a new naval and submarine base was proceeding “very rapidly”. About two million dollars were being spent, although America of course had not yet come into the war. A corres pondent reported, “As a result of this great expenditure on defence, trade is booming in American Samoa and the depressed condition of the copra industry has been forgotten”. * * * Details were being awaited around the Pacific of the results of the Pacific Copra Conference held in Sydney in January. It was ex pected a new plan for handling and shipping South Pacific copra would shortly be given approval by various governments. ♦ * * Included in the New Year Honours List announced in January was an MBE to Mr. R. H. Garvey, assistant to the Resident Com missioner, New Hebrides.