Makes (Amp-Happy

Week Of Bargains

Noumeans Happier

From Fred Dunn in Noumea It is generally agreed in Noumea that the September 24 celebrations marking the anni versary of the taking possession of New Caledonia by France in 1853 excited little public interest this year.

IT is generally agreed also that little was done to excite that interest.

A Miss Caledonia contest, in which there were only six contestants, degenerated almost into a fiasco due to bad organisation and bad weather, which resulted in the finals being postponed three times. However, all agree that the little lady who was ultimately elected, Miss Marie Line Maillet, was worthy of the title.

Two factors appear to be respon sible for the loss of public interest in the celebrations. One is their lack of novelty; the other is that over the last few years Noumeans have taken to going camping at the slightest drop of a hat.

As the September 24 celebrations generally extend over two or three days—this year from Friday to Sun day—few Noumeans with cars and tents can resist the opportunity to get into the country.

"Commercial Week"

This year, even two football matches (New Caledonia versus Tahiti), in addition to the tradi tional military parade and public ball, could not hold the campers back. It was so much more pleasant to take along a transistor radio and listen to the matches while reclining on a river bank or on the seashore somewhere.

But if the organising authorities fell down on the job of arousing public interest in the celebrations, the commercial houses held a highly successful “commercial week” to close the month of September.

During this week, most of the business houses lowered their prices on different types of goods, and anyone who bought more than 500 francs (£2/10/-) worth of mer chandise, and paid cash, was given a lottery ticket —the prize being two return air trips to France.

The public reacted to “commercial

week” with unexpected verve shoppers descending upon the mer chandise like wolves upon the fold.

There were evil tongues which said that prices were jacked up before being marked down, but, generally, everyone found some bargains.

The week concluded on Saturday, October 2, with a braderie (best translated as a “fair sale”) when the main commercial streets of Noumea were closed to traffic all day, and the business people moved their counters on to the footpaths and sold goods accumulated over the years at bargain prices.

Iron frying pans at 50 francs and other such goods were quickly snatched up by Melanesian bargain hunters, who should now have enough of these to last them for years.

Meanwhile, the Road Safety Council, in collaboration with the Gendarmerie Nationale. created a great deal of interest among the young fry, with a “game” designed to teach good road habits.

An elaborate course was laid out —streets with traffic lights and dif ferent traffic hazards, etc.—and children were invited to negotiate the course in pedal cars, small bikes or merely as pedestrians.

Noumea’s braderie is now becom ing a tradition. It mieht aptly be called the “Sunburn Festival” be cause at this time of the year, the sun is just making itself felt, and shoppers in their eagerness for bargains pay little attention to it until they are well and truly tanned.