More French Cultural Ties With N.Z. Planned

Press, Volume C, Issue 29683, 29 November 1961, Page 17

More French Cultural Ties With N.Z. Planned

The balance of trade between France and New Zealand is in New Zealand’s favour about 25 to 1, according to Mr L. Felix, the French Ambassador to New Zealand. France's plans for cultural relations, as outlined yesterday by Mr Felix, seem likely to result in a similar ratio. Mr Felix said his Government was now working on two major projects which would result in more knowledge of France and the French for New Zealand. The first is a scheme for professors from French universities to visit each university in New Zealand every year. The French Government is now waiting for replies to its proposal from the New Zealand universities. He said the professors would be professors of literature, history, and several other subjects. The other scheme is to send two French professors to Noumea. New Caledonia, to hold a summer school there in January and February

next year. France planned that the school should be attended by 50 persons from Australia and New Zealand—about 17 of them from New Zealand. They would be university professors, students and teachers. The two French professors would lecture on such subjects as French literature, pronunciation, and history. “The aim of the tour-week school will be the improvement of French accents and knowledge,” said Mr Felix. Mr Felix has been French Ambassador to New Zealand for 11 months. He was previously in Haiti, where much of four years was spent going through the formality of officially recognising the constantly changing governments. “In 1957 there were seven successive revolutions,” he said. “One Government lasted only 18 days, and I had no time to recognise it officially for France.” As his country’s ambassador, Mr Felix is the senior man of New Zealand’s 200-strong French colony. He said many of these were wool-buyers, helping to buy the £25 millian worth of wool New Zealand sent to France each year, compared with the £1 million worth of French goods New Zealand bought in return. Mr Felix is in Christchurch on a semi-official tour of the South Island. He has visited Bluff, Dunedin, Milford, Timaru, Mt. Cook, and Akaroa, where Mrs Felix placed some flowers on graves in the French cemetery. Today he will call on the Mayor (Mr G. Manning), the French Club and Canterbury University. He is to talk at a special public meeting of the Alliance Francaise at the Y.W.C.A. at 8 p.m. tomorrow, and will return to Wellington on Friday.