to-ing and fro-ing

Between Noumea and Paris, much to-ing and fro-ing

Over these last months the French capital has had visits from a number of del egations hailing from Noumea. First comers were the delegates of the Indepen dence Front who went to Paris to discuss their claim for Kanak socialist indepen dence. The delegation had four members, including Mr Roch Pidjot, deputy to the National Assembly in Paris, Mr Jean-Marie Tjibaou, a member of New Caledonia’s Territorial Assembly, and two others, both members of the Union Caledonienne.

One of these was Mr Pierre Declercq, who was to be assassinated in Noumea on September 19, shortly after his return from France. (It should be stated in relation to this matter that it is becoming increasingly clear that the young man arrested by police in connection with the murder is not guilty, and that no confirmation has as yet been forthcoming to the effect that it was a political assassination. No other per son has been questioned by police, and it is possible that, sooner or later, the judicial authorities will have to re lease young Canon, who is being held for the killing.) Another delegation went to Paris on an opposite mission to that of the Inde pendence Front. This was made up of three people: Mr Dick Ukeiwe, president of New Caledonia’s Council of Government, Mr Jean- Pierre AVfa, president of the Territorial Assembly, and the mayor of Lifou Island.

They went to Paris to affirm the attachment of the majority of New Caledonia’s population, including large numbers of Melanesians, to the French presence in the territory. They also wished

to have discussions with the government on the next ter ritorial budget. Mr Henri Emmanuelli, the secretary of state for overseas depart ments and territories, had already indicated that it was desirable that this budget should boost Melanesian ad vancement, and that it should, whatever the cir cumstances, introduce in come tax.

Dread words:

‘lncome tax’

The dread words have been spoken; New Caledonians will pay income tax from January 1, 1982. The local government led by Mr Dick Ukeiwe has drawn up a plan to be voted on by the Territorial Assembly. It pro vides for the levying of income tax on all salaries exceeding the equivalent of SAIOOO a month. But only the amount in excess of $lOOO will be taxed. The tax bite will only be truly sub stantial on salaries of more than $3OOO a month.

New Caledonians had already been warned on this score by Mr Emmanuelli during his recent visit to Noumea (PIM Oct p 26). So the announcement has really come as no surprise. A number of government coun cillors (ministers) are in Paris at present for dis cussions with the authorities on different aspects of aid for 1982: health, education, customs, police, and so on.

Many doings

Of Orstom

France has been conducting scientific research in the Pacific for 30 years. In charge of this work in Noumea is ORSTOM

(Office de la Recherche Scientifique d’Outre-Mer Office of Overseas Scientific Research). It employs 200 people and has an annual budget equivalent to SA7 million.

Using up-to-the-minute equipment, it conducts scientific studies in a wide range of disciplines. These include oceanography; car tography (it has just com pleted a major atlas of New Caledonia); earth sciences such as seismology, gra vimetry, and studies of the earth’s crust in the region and changes in its surface; mineral resources, and the potential in this respect of the various countries in the region; water and soil re sources; soil improvement; flora and fauna; entomology; plant diseases; studies of ocean and lagoon environ ments; fisheries, with special reference to tuna studies; scientific management methods (in Vanuatu); hu man sciences, including hy giene and public health.

ORSTOM in New Caledonia has considerable means at its disposal, includ ing two oceanographic re search vessels, the Coriolis and the Vauban based in Noumea, and an aircraft equipped to carry out oceanographic work.

The scientists at ORSTOM do not work alone. Their co-operation with Australian and New Zealand universities is of prime importance. They also work together with counter part bodies in Hawaii, and with the French body CNEXO (Centre National d’Exploitation des Oceans

National Centre for Ex ploitation of Ocean Re sources), based at Papeete.

Students and graduates visit from neighbouring countries to do short courses: they come from Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Australia, the USA and New Zealand.

They do their courses, some of which last several months, at the ORSTOM centre in Noumea.

Dull nickel

outlook

Nickel production at the Doniambo works is 10% down as a result of depressed conditions on the world mar ket. Two furnaces are to be closed down, and the unions are disturbed. There has also been a fall in exports of nickel ore to Japan. Sixteen hundred miners work the six mines.

The extraction of chro mite ores which, from the end of 1982, will be treated at Koumac in the north of the country, should help to ease this situation.

It is believed that this year New Caledonia’s exports will not exceed SA3IO million. La Societe Le Nickel plans 250 dismissals from among its 3100 factory employees.

New Caledonians remain glum. This is in spite of the fact that the country is calm, and in spite, too, of the various political statements which are being made and are giving rise to political debate on the future of the country. The fact is that nothing at all clear has as yet appeared on the horizon.