Phosphate Islands

Archives-March 1945

By-passed Phosphate Islands

Produce of Naum Now Wanted in South WINSTON TURNER, one of the few war correspondents who, travelling through the Pacific Islands, really under stood the Pacific’s political and econom ic set-up, published recently a long arti cle in Sydney “Sun” - “Return of Islands Would be a Boon to Our Fanners”.

He pointed out that the richest gift which the Allies could make to Australian farmers would be the restora tion of the phosphate industry of Nauru and Ocean Island.

Australia normally used 1,000,000 tons per annum of this non-organic fer tiliser; and most of the needs of Australia and New Zealand were supplied from the two islands. Now, the two countries are

being severely rationed on super phos phate, and the reaction upon food pro duction is serious.

The Japs occupied both Ocean Island and Naum in the early part of 1942.

In the past year, they have been dri ven so far north of the equator that there seems no serious obstacle in the way of the re-occupation of both islands (which .'e close together, right on the equator).

But re-occupation does not appear to be part of the strategic plan agreed upon by Washington and London.

The urgent needs of the farmers upon the food front seem to have been over

looked. The huge installations on both phosphate islands were demolished when we withdrew; and the Japs, who urgently need phosphate, have made no attempt to work the deposits.

They do not seem to have done any thing on Ocean Island; but it is known that they have used Nauru as a staging base, have constructed an airfield and barracks there; and mounted guns on the coast.

Japan had nursed a grievance over Nauru for 27 years (says Winston Turner). She missed getting the island by only three days during the last war.

On November 9, 1914, three days after HMAS “Melbourne” had landed an Australian detachment which took over from the Germans without firing a shot, a Japanese warship and transport appeared, but sheered off when the Australian flag was sighted. ■