Assembly Dissolved:
p. 21 · Read in the full issue
New Caledonian
Nickel Trouble
hat some people are predict to be the most bitterly ested election of all time in Caledonia, will be held in
7 rench Territory on April 15,
wing the dissolution of the itory Assembly on March 9. ►SOLUTION followed the refusal af the majority party (M. rmand’s Union Caledonienne), cept the agenda proposed by the Commissioner, M. Laurent Pec- The Governor has the finalf with his power of veto, in any ation passed by the Assembly, n this case he used it. icially the reason given for lissolution is the “divergence of ; between the Assembly and the sil du Gouvernement (an execu :ouncil, of which the Governor ad), on the economic and budget y to be followed”, e real issue is whether the New lonian government should give Nickel Company a subsidiary, in :orm of exemption from export The Governor says that this is nable; M. Lenormand’s party that it is not, and threw the ure out of the Assembly when jovernor was overseas at the end ist year. (For details of New lonia’s nickel troubles, see page this issue.) r many years the French metro m government paid the Nickel pany a subsidy; since this was out there have been repeated :s made by the company to get sort of assistance from the srnment of New Caledonia, ople who take the short view who instinctively dislike Big less, on principle), remember during the period of French :rnment subsidy, the company big dividends to shareholders, say they don’t see why the New donian taxpayer should carry le job. the practical view, however, it is ct that New Caledonia exists i nickel economy; it is also a that there is a depression in the I nickel industry and that some 4ew Caledonia’s old customers now getting cheaper nickel else e. the Nickel Company is forced to down some of its plant because
of this crisis in the industry—or if it just closes the plant down out of pique, or as pressure tactics, as some New Caledonians believe—the entire economy will suffer. Even before any workers were dismissed following the recent close down of part of the Noumea smelters, there was a general tightening of purse strings in Noumea.
It is likely, then, that in the coming elections, the very people who should be supporting M. Lenormand’s high socialistic principles will be voting against him in the belief that it’s better that the country should do without a little export-tax revenue than that they should find them selves out of a job.