New Caledonia,

Tahiti To Have

Tv, Too

The inauguration of American Samoa’s television station on October 5 corresponded more or less with announcements by the French Minister for Information, Mr. Alain Peyrefitte, that TV stations would be built in Tahiti and New Caledonia in the next two years.

Mr. Peyrefitte, Who, At 39,

is the youngest member of the French Cabinet, visited French terri tories in the Pacific in September and October.

He also announced that Radio Tahiti and Radio Noumea would increase transmissions from six to 16 hours a day, and that the power of each station would be increased.

In a speech on his arrival in Tahiti, Mr. Peyrefitte said: “I know that the means of information need to be improved. I intend especially to see how Radio Tahiti can increase its strength and its audience so that the voice of France can make itself better understood in the distant Pacific.

“I also wish to go ahead as rapidly as possible with the installation of television in Tahiti—that miracle of sound and sight, which enables the echoes and spectacles of the whole world to go into each home.

“Television, coming after the aeroplane, which puts you within 24 hours of the mother country, will enable you, not only to know, but to see what is going on in the world, and notably in France.”

Fears Over Moorea After a visit to Moorea, Tahiti’s sister island 10 miles away, to study the possibility of installing a tele vision transmitter there, Mr.

Peyrefitte announced that Tahiti and part of Moorea would probably have television by the end of 1965 and certainly by 1966.

Later, Mr. Peyrefitte said more cautiously that work on TV installa tions would begin in 1966. He added that transmissions would be made from Moorea, and that a relay system, to overcome the difficulties of Tahiti’s high mountains, would

enable people in most parts of Tahiti to pick the programmes up.

Mr. Peyrefitte’s statement that Moorea would be the base for Tahiti’s TV transmissions roused fears among the locals that that island’s unique beauty would be marred by aerials and other paraphernalia.

At a meeting of the Territorial Assembly’s permanent commission before Mr. Peyrefitte left for Noumea, three proposals, voicing these fears, were put forward.

One proposal suggested that the Government Council should study means of protecting Moorea’s natural

charms as a matter of urgency, and that this could be done by formally prohibiting all commercial, industrial and scientific buildings on the island, both public and private.

The other proposals, less radical, urged that Moorea’s beauty should be “safeguarded at all costs”, and that “steps should be taken not to spoil Moorea’s countryside”.

Mr. Peyrefitte visited New Cale donia between September 28 and October 5, during which he made a quick trip to the New Hebrides.

At a press conference in Noumea before he returned to France, he said that Radio Noumea’s trans

mission time was much too shoi and that as a result programm lacked richness and variety. T1 station’s power was much too low three transmitters of four kilowatl Mr. Peyrefitte said that if h proposals were adopted by tl French Government, Radio Noumi would transmit from 6 a.m. to ] p.m. Programmes would be most musical and cultural, interspers( with “messages”.

Some broadcasts would be relaye from Paris by means of repeat stations to be built soon in Guine and Djibouti (Somaliland).

Radio Noumea’s power would I gradually raised to 150 kilowatts, an eventually, perhaps, to 300 kilowatt Referring to television, M Peyrefitte said every effort would I made to have the proposed static for Noumea operating for the Soul Pacific Games in 1966.

The station would only be able 1 serve Noumea because of tl mountainous nature of the country.

Initially, the station would transm programmes for three hours dailh About 2i hours would be given ove to programmes from France; the re! to local programmes.

Shortly after Mr. Peyrefitte n turned to France, it was announce that Radio Noumea would becom the Voice of France in the Pacifi< with a powerful station broadcastin in English, Chinese, Indonesian an Japanese.

Footnote : Earlier this year, th Fiji Government decided that th time was not ripe for the introductioi of television into the Colony. Ii an official statement, it said the firs necessity was to achieve 100 per cent radio coverage of the Colony an improve reception in outlying areas