biggest

France's biggest bang!

From AL PRINCE in Papeete All was nearly ready on the French Polynesian atoll of Fangataufa at September’s end for France’s second underground nuclear test of the year, sometime in October. The test, code named Hector, follows by about four months France’s first underground explosion, Achille, at Fangataufa on June 5.

Officially, France is not saying how powerful Hector will be or when it will be conducted. Even 54 visiting journalists from France, Australia, New Zealand and Fiji could not find that out during an eight-day visit to French Polynesia, including the test ing sites of Fangataufa and Mururoa, sponsored by the Centre for Pacific Experiments.

One reliable source, however, indi cates that Achille, the first under ground blast, was a mere infant, designed more to test the under ground site with a safe baptism ex plosion. Although France has already announced that it is moving back to Mururoa for further tests, it wants to leave Fangataufa in style with a really big blast. Hence, Hector may well turn out to be the biggest blast France has ever conducted above or below ground. Only time, and a very short period of time at that, will tell how accurate this guess is.

Meanwhile, some of the visiting journalists returned from their escorted tour of the test sites—the first France has conducted in several years—with a variety of impressions and many of the nagging questions that they arrived with and left with, still unanswered. One immediate im

pression is the huge amount of money France has spent to develop its test ing facilities, which only went under ground this year. Another impression is how pleased the French officials are with what they have accom plished, particularly with their first underground explosion in June.

The visiting journalists left little doubt that the French officials were constantly on stage. The newsmen saw and photographed just about any thing, including two top French officials swimming in a lagoon right next to where the June test was con ducted. But is that what the journal ists came to see? The only exciting thing about being at the test site is knowing that you are standing at “point zero” where the last test was held or the next will be held. As for the rest of the site, it looks exactly like what it is—a flat, desert-like atoll in the middle of the blue Pacific with a tower like an oil drilling rig stick ing up. France could just as well be drilling for oil on Fangataufa as test ing nuclear devices underground, from the looks of the site.

But what can one expect? After several years of absolute silence about its testing programme, France has now gone 180-degrees in the op posite direction by actually picking up the tab to bring journalists half-way round the world just to personally examine the French Pacific testing facilities. Under such circumstances, there is probably no government in the world that is going to be com pletely candid about something as controversial as nuclear testing.

And there are, probably, not that many journalists in the world who are going to knock themselves out on their first, and perhaps only, free trip to Tahiti to try to find out what is really going on with the French nuclear testing programme. So both sides gain. France gets the exnosure, but does not get embarrassed. The journalists get their free trip, take some photos and file stories.

Of course, there were some

journalists who did ask some potent questions, which were either politely referred to the French Defence Ministry in Paris or to French Poly nesia Governor Daniel Videau, who happened to be in Paris at the time.

And some journalists wanted to know how safe the tests really are. But as one newsman from Australia said, “Only a physicist would know”.

A Boycott

The New Hebrides

The six members of the New Heb rides National Party, who won seats in the first municipal elections in Vila, boycotted the first meeting of the new Vila Municipal Council recently.

They said they would not attend meetings until complaints they had made concerning the electoral cam paign were dealt with.

The Resident Commissioners, who were at the meeting, pointed out that there was a standard procedure for dealing with complaints. Their com plaints were being dealt with, they said.

In the meantime, however, those candidates declared elected were regarded as the legitimate represent atives of their electorate, and their work would, in no way, be invali dated whatever decision was reached by the Electoral Committee on the ;omplaints.

The work of the council could not ae delayed as there were many argent and important tasks awaiting ts attention, the Resident Com nissioners said.

The National Party is in a 3-1 ninority on the council.

Spc On Nauru

The 15th South Pacific Conference vas scheduled to open on Nauru on September 29 and continue until October 10.

Newly - independent Papua New luinea will, for the first time, speak or !T lf and become the ninth participating government, a role vhich belonged only to the metro politan governments until Island terri ories became independent. PNG’s 'el p cation will be led by Foreign lelations Minister Sir Maori Kiki.

CocrntsTry}-General Fred Betham, of Vesfern Sarnia. complete? his term f office in October and his successor ' almost sure to be Dr Macu Salato, f Fiji, M’ho has the backing of Aus 'alia, Fiji and New Zealand. Up to eptemher 20 there had been no other ominations.