Good Time for Vietnamese

and Weather "Experts"

New Caledonia’s atomic bomb I told you so’s” had a field day i July when, three days fter the big US bomb test over ohnston Island, a rare electrical orm burst over the island, orrential rain cut most road immunications either by flood \g or by causing landslides.

Now even the most sceptical re inclined to blame the year’s trocious weather on atomic • sts.

July’s storm thoroughly dis eartened local vegetable rowers, who have suffered irther heavy losses, especially ith their potato crops.

The Administration has had ) extend the time during which yreign eggs and vegetables may e imported. (See Aug. p. 123). ocal eggs are down in quantity nd up in price.

Australian eggs and tomatoes re thoroughly appreciated by le local business masterminds -the Vietnamese who buy up \rge quantities of them. These nterprising people boil the eggs ard and sell them in the ietnamese cafes, clearing up ) 150 per cent, profit. As the ustralian stamp boils off the tells, they can always pass off ymplaints by declaring they are teal eggs, which cost more.

With Australian tomatoes, the ietnamese let them ripen well nd then cart them to market nd offer them as local tomatoes. \s such, they fetch much higher rices.