KEY TO THE MID-PACIFIC.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume I, Issue 300, 9 December 1911, Page 3

KEY TO THE MID-PACIFIC.

NEW ( ALEDONI.VS BRIGHT i’( it be. A MEDLEY <>l ASIATICS. JAPANESE BC.GEY. In 111:1115 r-r -t- New Ualfdoniat is the k< v of the M d Pae:tilt is’ i large island mat .'lining over 6000 ojuare mile*, and it* mineral riches and comparative ly temperate climate ; 11 mler ii capable of carry ing a largt iiidiistrial population. I>:seo\ ere<l by ( aptain < k in 17". i. it was lost, to the Empire through the indifference ' of the litipf ri'tl < lev vl'intn nt. being: oin.v annexed to I - rance m l s -5-T. 1 he ; Eiem-li miupat ion cannot be regard-’ i-d a* a striking success, for it lias • Ixin principally eonsideri d as apenal set! h mr-ril though the trans ; im'iaiii.n of convicts there cyased | *• me vetiu ago. this, while a very ’ gratifying fact to Australia, getting; ike island into troublous limes, for! tb< re w >- a corresponding diminii J ti< :i of ( .--penditiire which reacted ■:pi 1 industries and commerce. Al STRALIA S NEAREST NEHJIBOI R. New Caledonia, which i* Austra ’ Ila’s nearest foreign neighbour, has | 1 I>< , 11 described by one writer as al ‘ "social suburb of .Sydney it lies, i ■ roughly, a thousand miles away and j 1 by another as "a commercial de-j 1 !>< ndeney of the Commonwealth/', and accordingly its a.'.a'.rs possess a sjx’i-ia! interest for us. and it is p!< ns- ‘ ing to 11 < ' rd. on the authority' “t I ; Pion, gem ral manager cf the Sc.ciete • ('.aledoiiii tine des Minis, who is now I visiting Sydney, that the depression; with which the island was visited , - for so long is now over, and that a ; ; bright future is assured. I Em- a f< w years.” M. Emn said ; the other day. "jirogress was \ < I'.v sh.w indeed. Things we re for a J while at a standstill. But we are | going ahead now. and the outlook is; very promising. New works are. ; bring 1 st -dilished for treating the; ' nickel ore our principal industry ; ; : the spot, instead of st tiding it to j Europe for treatment. One plant 1 has been operating in Noumea for; about 12 months, and another is being < reeled for the Sc'.-iete de. ; Nickel at Thio, and will he wording ! about the 1 nd of December. \\ e | ! tiave .a plant at Tao. which Ims been I in operation fur about H months.; and is being enlarged. These works, i which are electrical .are producing;, ferio nickel free of sulphur, instead of nickel matte, as product <1 by the, least furnaces at Noumea and Thio.;. "In consequence of the estaLLsh- i merit of these local plants. manyT ; mines that had been 'die for years, i because it was unprefit able with the;, lieavy freight charges to semi away ' 1 ■i.e lowi r grade orcs they contained j for treatment, are now being worked \ , ; again, and things arc flourish mg. \ 1 ; Only one c l 'rome mine- the biggest! ; in the world, by the way --’.s being 1 ; ; worked at present. There is plenty 1 . of cobalt, but if does not pay to!' mine it. on account of the low price 11 of tlie mt tai.” ' A ROADLESS < Ol NTRY. M'hilc so far only the mineral;! ’wealth of New Caledonia has been i exploited, ami that not fully, there ; s i-ein to be possibilities also in the: development of agriculture. Jld. ! Pion grew quite enthusiastic as he , , ’aik<d about the prospects of ' La, Noiivelle." A magnificent country vva- what lip termed it. ami though many parts of it were, he consider-, cd. eminent ly adapted tor agriculture. it was not undertaken to any extent, owing to tin' want ot roads. Cotton was being sticcesshiily grown. 1 rmd a little ot her cult i vat ion was be-/ ; ing carried on. Rich tropical vege-;. tatioii. full of colour, abounded °” | | the eastern side of the Island, the; , great dumps of i-ocoanut palms with I < their exquisite foliage, the broad j 1 leaves of the banana and the grace-■ j fid paw-paw. giving to tiie scenic! eff-<-t a touch of the "Isles of Eden."; , Why more tourists did not visit New;, < aiedonia had always been a puzzle., Io him. It was '.lie nearest of the is- > lands to Sydney, ami was full of in-A t ere-t foi’ sightseers. A Melbourne , ' companv. In' understood, was about ; to build a casino at Noumea a sort ! | i.f Monte Carlo -and that would my; doglit bring an influx of visitors. r j THE JAP\NE>E B<m.EY. What about the thousands of Jap-, am-' in the mine*, who spend their’r *parc time in drilling, making sur- '' veys. and so forth ' , 1 M. Pion laughed. "All rubbish!" he said. "Every minute of their spare time is spent in gambling. They are inveterate ; ] gamblers, y oil know. We have to t get labour from .somewhere. you 4 know. We Lave tried all sorts. ’ I but none are so satisfactory !- a* the Japane-e. They're sturdy v little chaps. and they don t j drink and they don’t thieve. As for , their being really army and naval 1 f ofhc-r*. that's bosh. They belong t to the lower orders, and they are 1 capital laliourers very clean ami _ very im.ffeiisi v,.-. Altogether there ( arc. I suppose, about 39‘hi or loon of them, ami you need not be in tin- ; least alarmed a* to their having de j signs either *-:i New ( aledonia or I Australia. They are there -imply to t work a:id to gamble! M.,- have all ' sort- of labour in New (aledonia. 1 Tl.e-re are Javanese. Tomi[uinese, ‘ Loyalty I-C, 10i- I'~. chine-e. Arab*, "j besides uiir own liberes and the 11a tives of the country. The Javanese ( nr,- i.e-t suited for agrii.iilrttr.q! s

work*. The Arabs are the worst cut . tli rout * of the lot." I NO ANNEXATION Dm mg the i-ii.-it. whim ('nags vvt re in a v< ry paro;;.- state hi Ni v, i ( alcd<.:ii;i. tl.ire was an em-rgei r-i agitation fir iLe <-• ssio.i of the island to ( !r<a! Blit ".in. in wliicii c’.-e it would have come iir:d< r the v ing of 11.1- C. mmonwr ;ilth. -M. Pion 1 -.•ti.] tl'.'it that agitation had quite i di.-d down rmw. ami tlu-re was m> . 1 I-L '.nee. he thought. <'f I’rance ew-r ; purling with the island, ho ieai’iiig people in Ewim-o held I’livrts' < in N 1 w Cali do; Ila a * t• • make it high!'. 1m! 1 J.aLii- that there would ; i ■>, r Le a cha'ig,' ot llag. and as lar a* the French pfople in New ( alt'-, do.ii.-i w<-’-e coacerm d ill'.".' w. fill a mil ilia I r<-pt:giia;:< m t’> tl.n-v. 1: 'f tin ir nationality as oil izett- <•! ro s ■rr.-m :t nat i' -.i a* 1’ ran t ce. i TARII- E RE' IPR’M I FY. But iii-iyiair 1.1 Lew - ( aledonia : ■ Would like to SO' an eiiimto witim A;-<tralia. Some f-irin of tin tit 1 ; pi-m-ity I.light be t’.rrm’gi il. 'lnc: ’people iii New Cal(-('o::ia would buy. in Austi"tli-i. lieeause ii was so nra.-'. j ! many lint - that they now pureliat-cd i ’ f: mi France (.'it acco:::>l <--f tiie >dg j dil’i’rin nee in duly, and in rermm thi y mtgh Le i o sell some o’ ’ till ir prr.-dl’ci s In t'e ir the dm ii : l wire s > I'ctliU'rd as to emible thc-iiil t , < nter into roilipi". ition. Mir.m'-’ •j;1 i• t. s a."id e ngines, for < xnmple. ' i wbii-li wee now bought nm-t!y m-m: , I'r.r.K i . might be g,.t In. rm Ills; ' 1 ..-inpai'y had I'cceni.y I.ad to buy a • ’ coppt r smelting jihint. and got , ;it from England, the duty mi st 1 am.> 11 n 1 ing to !<i.C‘im jranes (abmii ■ ■ L‘I ; ;:hi). If i. had la 111 1.-.iiiglr. -n ; ; I''rm.i'c the d.ity v.c.u.d only kti'.i : ; been ab-mt LMmt. Ti >■ ■ ".me in’ > ; ; vas charged < :i articles from Am- • j t ralia a* upon articles trc-ni (»rea i I Britain, and lie thought that 'J tliei" ; ! v. -i '-e s-mie ari rangi incuts L v v.’i’i H , ! • tariff were r< i!m'< d nil ci I'u 1: ; lines by the <,'omim• nwca't h ati I Ne-v i i ('.".lcCimi 1 it «"idd Le t > tln >r mu- ■ 1 ual adv ant iigc. ;