fairy godmother, beats fuel crisis ...

La belle France, Caledonians' fairy godmother, beats fuel crisis ...

From a Noumea correspondent

As predicted, the introduction of petrol restrictions in Noumea im mediately inspired the French inhab itants to make use of the “System D”, —ways of working round the law.

Actually, the French have a very tolerant attitude towards harsh laws, since every citizen knows that the rules are only meant for some other poor fellow who isn’t smart enough to wrangle a good deal for himself. (Hence, Anglo-Saxons are considered stupid for their system of waiting in queues and insisting that even their patricians obey the same rules as the plebs).

But experts in the “System D” cer tainly had their wits tested by the Caledonian petrol restrictions. On December 4, it was announced the sale of petrol by jerrican was for bidden; petrol sales were prohibited between 3 pm Fridays and 6 am Mon days and petrol could not be used for pleasure boats. Later, traffic was limited to a maximum speed of 100 km an hour on Caledonian roads, while an hour’s daylight saving was introduced on January 1.

Siphoning of petrol from one car to another was forbidden, even by employees trying to help their boss.

But despite the police penalties, there was such a rush on sales of siphoning tubes that the press took great pains to describe the bodily harm resulting from inhalation of petrol fumes and the ghastly medical treatments that could be consequently required.

Protests against the petrol re strictions were immediate and wide spread. Loudest outcry came from the inland, where the residents were particularly hostile that plans were proceeding for the island’s seventh annual Safari motor trial around the island, yet the locals were restricted in their work and other movements, especially with petrol sales forbidden for the four days over both the Christmas and New Year periods.

Inland residents, especially, de plored the Safari waste of petrol and unnecessary damage to already poor grade roads. The Territorial Assem bly called for the cancellation of the trial, but the answer from the French Administration was firm: the assem bly has no power to intervene.

A nickel company newspaper, co sponsor of the trial, produced a front page editorial painstakingly explain ing the Safari could not be cancelled since another sponsor, UTA French

Airlines, had already gone to such trouble to line up metropolitan French drivers, journalists and cameramen to come and cover the event.

The impact for Caledonian tourism could not be sacrificed.

Finally, in face of heated reactions, the Bourail lap was eliminated while at another west coast town, Voh, angry residents blocked the road to Safari drivers.

If motoring and tourist promoters had succeeded with “System D”, the boating fraternity was not to be left behind. At the Cercle Nautique yacht club, it was claimed that the 400-odd craft, worth about SAIO million, could not be sacrificed for want of regular use. A system of petrol allocations with the issue of special tickets was thus approved for such pleasure craft.

The whole shock of the oil drama provided a wonderful exercise for

Paris to reinforce ihe popular stimu lus-response pattern of Caledonians holding out their hand and being “saved” by the French motherland.

Initially, British and US distributors announced they would cut the island’s oil supplies by up to 20 per cent, In proclaiming the sudden restrict ions, the French authorities had claim ed the situation was serious ... but then not really serious when it came to a local demand for the cancellation of the Safari. Still, serious enough for an SOS to be promptly despatched to France, with an almost unbeliev ably prompt reply insisting that France sought to guarantee New Caledonia the same quantity of oil this year as she obtained in 1973.

So the crisis at least served the purpose of reminding Caledonians how unwise it would be to demand internal self-government from such a kind fairy godmother.