US Army Guide to New Caledonia - The George C. Marshall ...

For t:..sc of AUlitag Persnnonij . Not to
"2 ;;2 part, Z,:.',il60 ;tt
t.,''.., e co2sent o tine Department .
SPECIAL SERVICE DIVISIO :N', ARMY SERVICE 'FORCE S
UNITED STATES ARMY
t
WASHINGTON, D . C .
A:-TRY JOURNAL Librar y

Introduction
A SHORT GUIDE T O
E C L -0h' A
CONTENT S
Meet Our All es 6
Getting Along in New Caledonia 1 4
"The French Australia" 2 5
Miscellaneous Information 3 7
Hints on Sneaking French
List of Most Useful Words and Phrase s
Additional Words and Phrase s
Special Notes on New Caledonia
4 0
4 3
4 9
57

YOU and your out ;_t have come to New Caledonia no t
only as friends to help guard the strategic interest of th e
United Nations in . a distant and vital corner of the world ,
but virtually as discoverers .
This island of the Free French has been the home of
Frenchmen for more than a century, but brew American s
have been there, and few know anything about This
guidebook now in your hand is the first guide of an y
kind ever published to inform Americans on New Caledonia
. Its purpose is to introduce you to the country an d
facilitate your learning more about a people whose love o f
freedom is as great as our own . If you are an alert soldier.
the time should come quickly when you know more

about the country than is to be found in the guidebook .
That should he your aim, Your efficiency will amount ac -
cording to the accuracy of your Information . The mor e
you learn of New Caledonia, the better you discharge you r
duty as an American .
The position of this Island is of great importance to th e
security of our country . One glance at the map will tel l
you why . To two the war, we must keep the freedom o f
the seas and continue the incitement of our fighting materials
to our allies and to our own forces . New Caledonla
stands guard over the Pacific lifeline which join s
our strength with Australia and with the Dutch who stil l
give battle to the enemy in some of . the islands of the Eas t
Jndles .
You are fortunate that this island i5 to. be your statio n
for the time bung . New Caledonia is the only Island i n
the western South Seas whir.h is wholly° free of fever. Th e
public health problems are minor. If. you take care o f
yourself, you will thrive on the Island, and st-ilI find your -
self among friends. The trail has been well blazed for
you. The conduct of your fellow soldiers in New Caledon
ia has been good. They have not only adjusted themselves
easily to their situation but have won the respec t
and admiration of the New Caledonians . The men of the
New Caledonia command are anxious CO . get at th e
2
enemy, They believe that they are the . Lest soldiers in th e
Pacific. When men think that way, so they are .
The New Caledonia natives are your loyal comrades i n
arms. Some of them are wearing the uniform of you r
country, swearing . It proudly, and speaking eagerly o f
themselves as. American forces . They have become associated
with cur arms to ser ve as guides and service corp s
troops . The American troops in New Caledonia wea r
khaki. The New Caledonia natives and this term will be
used throughout the guide to designate the original inhabitants)
who are serving with rs ask for a modifie d
O . D . unr_orm because they . do not like the feel of cotton ,
For the first env-cars a_ter the all of France the New Caledon:a
natives took _ess than a moderate interest In th e
w,`,'ar . Then with the forming of forces for tnc Coral Se a
'.cattle the whole issue in the Southwest Pacific becam e
clouded by doubt, and they. Rocked to our colors by th e
scores because they were ready zo fight . Some of these
dark-skinned men are warriors who have won decoration s
on the battieheids of France during the First World War .
Mutual respect 'between you v l develop naturally .
Three flags now fla over New Caledonia-tree tricolo r
of the oid French Republic, the Lorraine Cross, symbol o f
the Fighting French, and the . Stars and Stripes, whic h
will continue to command the esteem of the New Cale -
3

donians as your personal attitude and behavior merit it .
New Caledonia has been a French colony since 1853 .
When the French Republic collapsed an 194o the Governor
of the colony wanted to string along with Vichy .
But the plain people drove him out of the colony and se t
up a government to work with General de Gaulle ,
Just Suppose . Let us suppose for a minute that New .
- Caledonia had taken the opposite course, and played th e
pliable Vichy game the way French Indochina did . Yo u
remember what happened there . Indochina opened he r
doors to the Japanese (for "protection " ) and right awa y
they began to build airports and establish garrisons .-That
surrender destroyed the balance of militant power in th e
Pacific and led to defeat in Malaya, the Philippines, an d
the Dutch East Indies .
If the same thing had happened In New Caledonia, th e
- 'results .would have been as bad or worse for us . For thi s
agar-shaped Island lies only 750 miles across the Cora l
Sea from Australia . Given possession of this key spot ,
the Japanese might have been able to knock out Australi a
before now and certainly would have blocked our presen t
route across the Southwest Pacific . The job of runnin g
the Japanese out of the East Indies, tough as at is now ,
would have been many times as difficult .
5

Mineral Treasure-House . Theres another mighty important
reason wJv New Caledonia must be he1d . For it s
size-acre for acre, mile for mile-it has the richest mineral
resources of any country in the world-nickel, dare -
mite, cobalt, and iron . Those are maptc words in thi s
man's war . It _Japan could get her hands on those minerals.
some cr her supply worries would be eased . If w e
should lose them-,t might mean shortages for some oi.
our most vital war industries rack home . Many an American
plane and munitions factory is dependent today o n
nickel and chrome front New Caledonia .
That ' s the chance the initiative of the New Caledonian s
has g iten us-and the great res pons i bility. When you ge t
to New Caledonia, you will find that your fellow Amen -
cans have great admiration for what the islanders hav e
done In the war. By their courage In the face of dange r
they have already saved us from serious military defea t
and have thrown a monkey wrench Into the Jars' machinery
.
MEET OUR ALLIE S
f FS a little m :ssleading to sneak of our New Caledonia n
allies as one people. Real :,. they are setcral peoples t o
gether-though you i i.111 find they are equa lly friendly,
equals strong for our side and against the Japanese and
Hitler. Likewise, they are
strong for one another .
New Caledonia is remark -
abbe free from race pretudices
. The Caledonian s
don `t ask what a man look s
like. They ask : "What ca n
he no' " It Is a good question
.
We and the. New Catedonians
have a commo n
cause. We are fighting together
against the so--calle d
new order " of Hitler an d
Hirohito rn all its bruta l
forms . BUT, there are a
lot of small differences between us . AVitn your consistClt t
help these items can be minimized and the solidificatio n
or our Pacific front can be continued .
You will want to knot'. what kind of _people you ar e
going to meet . New Caledonia is a very thinly populate d
country . For example, although the colony is a littl e
larger than Net',' Jersey in square miles . it has onl y
61,ooo people-an American football stadium would hol d
them all-as compared with New Jersey s 4,ooo,00e .
6 7

By American standards, the island cannot be called fertile.
One-third or more of the total area is too rugged o r
barren to be of any° econom i c use. Back of the beach th e
flat lands are apt to be swampy, Thousands of acres In th e
river v°allev°s, however, are suited to agriculture .
The French. There are tour major groups of people making
up New Caledonia s population . The largest grou p
are the Europeans-meaning mostly French-who ar e
about a third or the total population . This is the larges t
white population of any single South Pacific island .
Here are a few things on should know about them .
First, they are not "colonists . " in the accepted sense . or
the word among peo ple or the South Sea Islands, Instead ,
the French in New Caledonia consider that the island i s
their home. They like to be called Caledonians . In thi s
respect they are something like the Australians across th e
Coral Sea. Allowing for differences ni language, religion ,
and custom, you will find among the French in Ne w
Caledonia some of the same hearty friendliness and in -
dependence that characterizes the Australians-who, i n
turn, are frequently compared to westerners in America .
The French you will meet are for the most part farmers ,
shopkeepers, businessmen, and government employees .
Externally they are much like corresponding people in
8
cur country Some have traveled back and forth to Franc e
quite' a bit, the ma j ority fee .. deeply rooted in New Caledonia.
They speak French and follow the Roman Catholic
faith, in the majority, There is also a considerabl e
Protestant group .
Some metropolitan Frenchmen from Paris may tend t o
look dossn on the Frenchman from New Caledonia a s
being an isolated "colonial" but the latter is more often a
more practical and democratic person than the man from
France .
The Natives . The second largest group of people -in th e
island are the native hanakas (kah-nah-kas), These are a
brown-skinned people of mixed Melanesian and Polynesian
origin, whose ancestors were the or_ainal New Caledonians.
Graceful and fond of singing, they are a cheerful,
happy-go-lucky l .ot. And vet many of their best me n
volunteered for the Free French forces and are now serving
in far parts of the world .
It is something of a problem what to call these people ,
French writers have referred to them as indigenes (natives)
or Canaques (from the Polynesian word " kanaka' '
meaning "man") . However, they dislike. the term Canaque,
and it should not be used . The people hare no general
name for themselves other than that of their distric t
9

or village-"East Coast People, " "Como People,' and s o
on, When you are dealing with a man, however, it i s
quite all right to call him "boy," as this is' .a widely use d
term around the islands . The people are accustomed to it .
The New Caledonia natives compose many small tribes ,
and still retain a strong community loyalty. Up to a few
years ago most of the tribesmen spoke only their nativ e
tongue, but today many are beginning to speak a "pidgin "
form of French. The children go to little church school s
in the native villages and speak quite good French .
Since American troops began co arrive and the men began
to serve with our forces, many of them have picke d
up English phrases. Those who are In our military services
are accustomed to taking orders rn English ,
Some of the Europeans will tell you that the nativ e
islanders are lazy . Perhaps, out there are two r avs o f
looking at it, In New' Caledonia the climate is pleasan t
and without any great extremes . Fish, game, and othe r
foods are east' to get . The island is sparsely settled, wit h
room for an . So when white men wanted to hire the Ne w
Caledonia natives for hard labor in the mines, they re -
plied they were getting along all right the way they wer e
and didn't want hard labor . Nevertheless, if you can ge t
their interest, or show them that it is to their own advantage
to work or fight you will no them willing an d
10
strong . That is the wa y we have found them . They are -
doing much hard work for us ,
Most of the New Caledonia natives today are coining
to some form of Euro pean dress. There is one unusua l
sight you will see-about half of them have reddish or .
orange-colored hair,: This is not a freak of nature but i s
caused by rubbing lime, once used to kill parasites ; into
the roots of the hair. The customs still followed as a
means of tribal adornment .
Today nearly every babe° is baptized into the Christia n
faith, and nature worship and spirit worship are dyin g
out . But some ot. the old beliefs still persist . One belief i s
that every person is Inhabited br° a spirit, or 1(o, whic h
goes travelling while the human body is asleep . It a ma n
should be awakened suddenly--so the belief. is-the k o
might not have time to get back into its body and woul d
get even b y going around causing trouble . So the peopl e
believe a man should be . allowed to sleep until h e
wakes up of his own accord . It is a point of view,wit h
which any man who has to stand reveille cats have ful l
sympathy° . In any event, be care ::ul about waking natives .
Javanese and Tonkinese . Because the native New Caledonians
could not be interested in working In the mines, th e
mine owners imported labor rom other parts of the Pa -
- ; ``
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JOURNAL Library

cidc, from more crowded lands where it was difficult t o
make a living . About 12,ooo of these laborers are in th e
island according to latest available figures . They are usually
Imported on 3-year contracts . Some of the laborer s
renew their contracts and eventually become permanen t
residents of the country . About two-thirds of the laborers
are Javanese, from Java_, and one-third Tonkinese, fro m
French Indochina .
Some Javanese women work i n the mines along wit h
the men, but most of them do not like it and preter domestic
service . Almost every white family in the islan d
has a Javanese servant . You can usually recognize th e
Javanese women by their gaily colored sarongs-not quit e
like Dorothy Lamours, but more like a skirt, with a
blouse covering the upper part of the body . The lava -
12
nest are Moslems . At home they have been brought up to
be h ighly disciplined, very polite, and respectful of ahthorny
. The French regard the Javanese as intelligen t
workers, but trigger-tempere d ,
The Tonkinese are from the Tonkin region of Indochina,
and are similar to the Chinese . in appearance and
customs . They also are regarded as reliable workers, an d
n-arie of them are tine artisans in metal and wood . l d
religion, the Tonkinese may be Confucian, .Taoist, o r
Buddhist, since all three religions are followed in thei r
homeland .
Japanese . The fourth mayor group in New Caledonia,
until Pearl Harbor, veere the Japanese . There were abou t
1,100 on the island, The dcv after Pearl Harbor, General

de Gaulle deciared oar on Japan and the Japanese .wer e
tai en under government control for their own safety .
All of them have been evacuated to Australia ,
In addition to these four main groups of peoples ther e
are also, scatterings or other Europeans and Australians ,
and the " halif-castes ." These are the of spring of white s
gnu native New Caledonians . It is not unusual here, as i n
other parts of the word, to find marriages betwee n
Euro peans and the aborigines . Some or the half-caste s
mingle soc :aih with the French .
GETTING ALONG IN NEW CALEDONI A
THE best way to get along in \ew Caledonia is to b e
friendly, courteous, and considerate, Abote all, respec t
other people s customs and their privacy . You are not go -
ing to New Caledonia to change the people or their ways .
CUStOmS Are Important . `fanners and customs are the firs t
thing to learn w n..en you are in a strange country, Fortunatcly,
New Caledonia is comparat!t'eiv tree froice religious
taboos which make it difficult for the visitor to ge t
along in many countries . But there are a few things yo u
will want to know. For example. the siesta hour Is observed
rigidly throughou t Aen- Caledonia and a1l shop s
and offices are closed tight for a few hours at midday .
The French set great value on being polite . A smile an d
a salute or a friendly courtesy will go a long ,.vay in Ne w
Caledonia as elsewhere .
Most of the -.French in the Island are devour and quite
conservative in their personal lives . They are family people
and you will find that they have a rather strict mora l
code, In some families it would no : be considered prope r
for a girl to go out or . a date unless accompanied by he r
parents or a chaperone . Cur troops understand these customs
and respect them_ . They are not molesters of women .
In dealing with the native New Caieconians, the Javanese,
and ToMeinese, is well to be a little on your dignity
. Be ir_endlo but a litt '.o restrained .
Most of the natives are devout Catholics . and the priest,
.who is called a padre (FAH-dray), is a very Importan t
man . You will hoc missions in the most remote districts .
There are also many mans who teach the native childre n
and hold them to a strict moral code . In =general, the mor e
isolated the native vi'iage, the stricter you will find th e
people, though as said Ueicro, they are likely to cling to
their native beliefs . They are afraid or the dark and keep
fires and light burning at night to keen the dewi ': away ,
If these beliefs seem funny to you, reflect on whether yo u
have known an American or two who was afraid to g o
.home in the dark .
14 15

Among the Javanese and Tonhinese you will find a d
sorts of religious customs . festivals . and observances . Th e
important hang is never to laugh or Interfere . Learning
about these things is a Dart of your new life. As a student
of New Caledonia, tou will o : course approach the lan d
and its people with respect, as your comrades alread y
there have done ,
There is no problem of haggling or 'bargaining wit h
the nati=ves to he considered . For one thing, the island ha s
not been frequented by tourists and there .are almost n o
nattve son'.enirs `ot sale. For another, the whole economi c
system of the island is now stabilized by price-liking ,
which is even more rigid than in your own country .
In normal times the French in New Caledonia live a
great deal as we do at home . These are not normal times .
The stores In Noumea and the other cities are running o n
the ragged edge because of a lack or im ports . Such products
as they have are needed be the native population .
It isn't honest poker for an American soldier to compet e
with their when n_os, of his needs can be supplied at th e
army canteen .
Liquors of all kinds arc extremely scarce . As In peace -
times. the native population was accustomed to the traditional
French wines, the scarcity Is a greater hardship o n
them than on the American soldier. A little beer Is im -
16
ported from Australia ; It is not especially good beer . Suc h
wine as is to be round is now Imported from California .
Of soft drinks, there are a tew : citron, an orange syru p
cut with v=, ater, lemon pop -arid banana pop . Ice is hard to
get, there being on'hv two small plants on the I sland, with
a plentiful demand r or their product .
Nearly all the native New Caedonians 'ice in v°illages,
. called mribu {tree-boat . They are generally foun d
in the river valleys, but some are deep in the mountains ,
The - old-style native I'.ut-now rare-Is a cone-shape d
thatch-rooted affair looking something like a tall beehive .
The more common dwelling today°, encouraged by th e
gov=ernment for reasons of public health . is a rectangula r
cottage with tan, bark, or thatch roof . The walls are mad e
of wattle and mud, usually painted in bright colors, Wove n
mats are used as bedding, and the cooking Ere Is an ope n
hearth on the earth floor . Generally, the villages are tid y
and surrounded by flowers . In the hills You will still se e
the native costume-noy, also partly Europeanizedwhich
consists, for men, of a shirt and a cotton waist -
cloth, often brightly° colored, called a manou (man-oo) .
The women wear mostly the "Mother Hubbard, ' introduced
into the South Seas by the missionaries . It is a
• loose cotton dress tailing below the knee with elbo w
length sleeves, The people are fond or bright decoration s
17

and colors and when they are in a festive mood they pu t
on wreaths of dowers and leaves, strings of beads, copper
wire, tin bottlo toes, or anything else that appeals to them .
They decorate their ankles, knees, wrists . and arms a s
well as their necks and waists .
Around the mines and plantations you 4vill find th e
la,orers-the Javanese and Tonkinese . Dorn,,ncries ar e
provided, but . mace of the laborers prefer to build thei r
own little huts of hark and lumber. There are plenty o f
children . Outside of work hours, these peo ple keep to
themselves and earny on their Gun sways of Ii' . mg muc h
the same as inn their home countries .
Ealing and Drinking . The French have somew'nat differen t
customs o` eattea than our own . In the morning they
18
have a petit ifb eunc .e uuh-TEE day-zhuh-NAY or "littl e
)breakfast ; " usually consisting or coffee and a roll . The n
comes (aa AY) . an early lunch. An d
C1 c'JEtG ~1 eT ~~-211uh-N
fina.iv diner (DEE-NAY), the main meal . They dint-1k a
great deal of coffee (some i s grown on the Island) and us e
rum and light wines in moderation . Despite the shortage
of liquor, the New Ca'ledcaians retain their rigid idea s
about the use of it . It is a social sin to get drunk, and i t
is a tail ofle>._e to tic Prince to it r ,ative .
On the whole, the food eaten by the French is no t
greatly different from ours . One of the rarities of th e
Island fare is rousette saute-Eying foa-which tastes lik e
chicken giblets . The native New Caledonians live largel y
on native. products of the country . The Tonkinese an d
J
a-ranese, however, follow their own customs of cookin g
and eating. Rice rs their staple toed, garnished svith fish
and vegetable sauces . Though beef cattle are plentifu l
and thousands of heat live in a wild state in the interio r
of the island, the natives prefer potted meats . Som e
mutton i5 Inr-oorted irons A'astralia .
The war has impoverished the island in some ways .
The people arc wearing shabbier clothing . As their me n
may be away at war, there is a likelihood that the tabl e
'_are will be neither as plentiful nor as varied as in normal
times. Ness Caledonians are normally hospitable, an d
19

willing to share what they have with strangers . Now ,
they can't afford it. Your way of expressing , your sympathetic
understanding of their situation is to refrain from
-boasting about the abundance and quality of your ow n
chow .
In a sparsely inhabited land such as Caledonia you ar e
not going to find many bright l ights. But there ar e
movies . Noumea has three picture houses which are co -
operating with Armv° Motion Picture Service so that no w
they are shoe=; ing the latest Hollywood productions a t
about the same . time e-then are making their first appearance
on Broadway, Your Army is getting these productions
to, New Caledonia as fast as possible . But unfortunately
the capacities of the Noumea theaters are too smal l
to meet the demand adequately .
- War has interfered with horse racing which used to b e
a popular sport in the island . Baseball is being introduced ,
limited only by the lack of adequate flat spaces elsewher e
than near the beaches . The New Caledonians are beginning
to take to our national pastinamg but there is n o
native phrase for "'.kill the umpire . "
There are numerous bathing beaches, and the wate r
feels fine. The best one is Anse Vara near Noumea be:
cause it is protected and therefore shark-proof. At th e
other beaches, the man-eaters are a hazard to swimmers .
But the best sports are hunting. and fishing, an d
American soldiers doing duty in New Caledonia are
finding it a game paradise . Deer are so plentiful tha t
they are regarded as a pest, and may be found grazin g
with. the cattle . In one vear. more than 1zo,ooo hides wer e
exported from the island. Soldiers are given as muc h
liberty as they wish to hunt these animals with governmentammunition
. It is good, live target practice, prepara -
tory to the quest for bigger game ofthe kind that al l
soldiers are talking about. But for safety's sake, it i s
necessary to enforce the local ru nk that deer shall not b e
shot in camp, and it is custom to move ride-shot distanc e
away from any troops before shooting at deer .
There is no closed season on door, or on wild pigeons ,
which are plentiful, or on wild duck, which are slightl y
less so. The only limitation is a shortage of shotgun am -
munition in the outfits. Soldiers are encouraged to roa m
far afield either while hunting, or in mountain-climbin g
which in New Caledonia is a first-class way to get legge d
up, Some of our troops have traversed the island in casua l
parties, and explored nearly every corner of the hinter -
land. It is -worth the doing because the scene is one of
rugged grandeur . The mountains are bold, rather barre n
and precipitous . The passes through them-there bein g
three Main routes from one side of the island to th e
21

other-follow the courses or the mountain streams. Th e
mountain highways are suitable for trucks, and the hiking
may be either relatively easy or extremely difficult, a s
one chooses, The interior _s considered perfectly safe fo r
our forces .
In Nev. Calec!on_a our troops are gathering oysters off .
trees to garnish the company mess . There are no bette r
oysters in the world . They cling to the roots of the man -
grove in the tidal rivers, and a hungry soldier comes
along, pulls the root up, and eats several dozen on th e
half shell, Clams are plentiful in the rocks of the smal l
islands in the numerous bays and harbors, and moto r
launch parties may eat their h1'. on the spot, or take a
supply back to the camp for chowder . Said an America n
army captain : " There is no better fishing anywhere tha n
along the coast or New Caledonia." The most succulen t
s pecimen :s a fish not unlike our own red sna pper whic h
the French call loche saumone, and another popula r
variety is akin to the sea bass found along our ow n
coast. In Se ptember some of the large fish become contaminated
by the coral and if eaten evill produce a ba d
skin Irritation. The native fishermen will hel p you identif y
them .
One sport the New Caledonians enjoy is luring th e
large spiney lobsters with dead squid . These .lobsters
22
'abound ;n caves under the coral reefs . At low trade th e
fishermen go to the reefs ut bathing trunks, with_ shoe s
to protect their feet irons the sharo tors', toggles, an d
gloves to protect their hands tro p: the lobsters . The bai t
is a dead squid on a pole . The squid is dangled in fron t
of the cave . When the lobsters see the squid they los e
all power to move . Another fisherman goes into the poo l: .
with goggles and goes, and catches them by hand .
Smaller shovel-nosed lobsters, confronted with the squid ,
throw themselves out or .the water onto the reefs ; wher e
they can be picked up by hand . Both varieties of lobster ,
though somewhat foolish, are very good eating .
. d , i s
One last word on wildlife . I you see a smal l l. bir d
hopping along the countreslde but neser .tak:ng off, giv e
him a r.o kind words . The kagu, called the national
bird of New Caledonia, cant and is . therefore becoming
extinct rn an era which has little tolerance for force s
.';filch won't take to wings . All :aught still he well wit h
the kagti if he had studied the lessons of this military age .
News and Reading . There are plenty cf radio sets on the
island, and rece ption is unusually good of short-wav e
broadcasts from Australia and California. Noumea, at
last reports, had two sma l l newspapers . Since the fail o r
France, however, the peo ple have been short of reactin g
23

material In their native language, They are likely to :a eicome
alai reading matter, even in English, that you ca n
pass on to them . Your Army magazine, "YANK ." bein g
an illustrated wee;le, will he esncc :ally appreciated b y
them .
Language . In addition to the of c:al French.--that of
European France-a simplified form of pidgin Frenc h
is' used by some groups . This is a short-cut language .
If the natives can puck it up, you can . 1 helpful list of
words and phrases in egu as French will be found at th e
end or this guide. You s. x;ill'also hear a l ittle pidgin English,
such as is used in the Pacific islands further northwest .
This will be even easier to pick u p .
"THE FRENCH AUSTRALIA "
TRAVELERS who have visited New Caledonia usuall y
say that it is more like Australia In climate and living
conditions than it is like the South Sea Islands as w e
usually think of them . Other visitors have likened it to
southern California . The vegetation is in some res p ect s
comparable. Three kinds of local trees catch you r
ere, -The loss niaoul: (nee-ow-lee), also called the -cape r
hark, is related to the Australian eucalyptus and yields a
- medic:nai essence. The kauri (cow-reel is in demand fo r
lumber and the slender Captain Cook pine, which grow s
nowhere else in the world, is something like our tamarack.
You will realize the climate never really gets col d
when you see the coeom it trees which thickly fringe th e
shores . Their fruit provides a delicious natural drink ,
However, Nev.. Caledonia is a subtropical rather than a
Ironical island and you will not encounter the extrem e
heat, humidity, dangerous animals, insect pests, or fever s
that make life so difficult in the real tropics, There is ,
however . one native tree, Min-barked and oozing a ver y
Hack gum, which at Bets the skin like poison ivy .
V'cG Ca'.edonua is roughly _5o miles long-farther tha n
- New York to Washington-by about ;o .;de, , with a -
total area o- around 8,eoo square miles . It is 750 mile s
t N7AN T RY JOURNAL LIbrar
2 5

from Australia, gr .- from Ne s v Zealand, 6 .5oo from Cali.
forma, and hoc : from the Panama Canal ,
Take a moo at the map In the center
of this guide.
Near the southern tip of the island, slightly up the tt'es
th thcapital e oast, lies
t
and principal j'ort, Noumea, wit
a pre-war
h
population o around 12.000, a little more than
hale of them whites
. Noumea has a landlocked harbor,
a :e
-
of the finest in the South_ Scats, It was also a pre-tt-a r
air base of Pan-American _~ :ravr, ; s lcl1 the Ne w
Caledonians call "Pal':air") on the San Francisco to Ne w
Zealand run. It also has the Island's principal nickel -
sotelting plant .
Most of the other towns and vi llages o any size ar e
also located on the coasts, and many of them have fin e
though undeveloped harbors . The island it fairly wel l
surrounded by a earner reef or coral . : to T o miles off
shore, gives natural protection against I n vasion ;
zip. Is these mountains are found New Caledonia's ric h
mineral resources. Some cods has called the is and a soli d
block of metal .
One of the odd topograpisical features of New Caledonm
which you will notice arc the hillocks of shel l
scattered over -rant parts ,ot the island adjacent to th e
seashore. Like the "kitchen rrfcdens " of Florida, they are
rile accumu_at_on of nundreds of years during v himi th e
island was moo as a :east.ng ground Bleached huma n
bones and skulls can sometimes be _eund .n Me debri s
of these hillocks-suggesting a gruesome explanation o f
the feasting .
Because the prevailing trade winds are from the east ,
the eastern slo pe of the mountains receives more rainfal l
than the western . On this s'omc the forests are particularl y
dense, Tree ferns sometimes gro g: to a height of 6c feet .
t tarn points
out tit is reel 1s broken at plaCmt, .1 .d1 0rlteaim
toa
011 the coast require alert ,,.i a r_ch.ng. Down th e
center or the . island runs the pc i nelpal Irountai11 range ,
something like our ott'n Teton range, but with magnif -icent
views ot the ocean, Fi'1 Ie ver the eve roves In Nev.;
Caledonia, it meets mountain f ;eaas and their slopes com e
ilk =t down to the sea . The 'mg-nest mountain Is Moun t
Humbolt, 5,361 feet above sea level, near the southern
Climate . The thermometer rarer- goes above oo degree s
at am time, or below 6e . At Noumea the average mea n
temperature. in January and February i summer In Ne w
Caledonia) is S6 degrees . In July and August s=tinted
It is 75 degrees . Aorma '.it, Noumea has about 43 inche s
of rainfall a year and 13 halm . or partially mint- cats ou t
of the 365. Most of the ram tails between February an d
April. From August througia October is the crvest time .
26 27

About the only drawbacks to the climate are the tropical
hurricanes, of which there are about three a year ,
usually between December and April . They are usuall y
brief, but can do a lot of damage in a short time . Some -
times torrents of water come down the rivers and destro y
roads and isolate whole communities . Lately New Caledonia
has had "unusual" weather . For _ years there ha s
been little ram but bivouac commanders must still tak e
care not to make camp in dry washes .
Agriculture and Industry, Although parts of New- Caledonia
are very fertile, particularly the ricer valleys, you
will find that agriculture is somewhat backward, thoug h
improvements have been made in recent years . Coffee i s
the principal crop . Coconut products come next . The chief
domestic animals are the oxen . On the slopes of th e
mountains are large plantations and ranches where cattl e
are raised .
New Caledonia tried at one nme to ca pture the Orien -
'tel market on beet but missed and the cattle industry ha s
proved a financial failure. The forests, however, yiel d
some wealth . Many fruits. such as lemons and papayas .
gross 'old . There are also banana plantations but no t
more than enough fruit to provide for the local population
. Some of the native Nev.' Caledonians and French -
too, make their living by hunting deer and 'selling thei r
hides to the Australian market . To save gun powder and _
cartridges, this hunting is oaten done highly traine d
dogs, which run the deer InTo ponds or into the sea wher e
they can be caught and dispatched with a knife .
Mining and other forms of industry hase been greatly,'
Irtensi`_ie-l since the star by the Intrcduet cn c additiona l
machinery . You will sec signs 0- act's-1's' on every hand .
Nickel is mined in huge. open pits In much the sense we ,
that we (nine copper In Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona .
Chrome Is mined underground in the region or Tiebagh :
Mountain whence comes 4 percent of the world supply .
There Is also an uiexhaustible amount of chromite in th e
sands along New Caledonia s beaches, and as fast fl th e
sand is dug out and treated, the sea washes more u p
again, A typical chrome p=ant consists of ordinary tip -
trolleys and a grooved steel washing table . The beac h
sand is shoveled Into trucks and rolled along to th e
grooved table where the chrome is se parated from th e
sand by the simple process of agitating the table unde r
flowing water . The lighter said is floated of, leaving 5 5
percent pure chrome on the table .
New Caledonia has some Tort _enatit:s of narrow ,
gauge railroad, but visitors say . it is kindest not to men -
non them, Most transportation today _s by the roads .
30 31

History,and Government, The great English explorer, Captain
Cool, first sighted the island in 17'74 . Its mountainous
ap pearance reminded lain, of the Scottish coast, s o
h; gave it tine name of New Caledonia-Caledonia bein g
the Latin word for Scotland . In 1853 the French .loon
control and it has been a French colony ever since, together
hnth such nearby smaller Islands as the Loyalt y
group and the Isle of Pines .
Previous to the sear its Governor was also the French
High Commissioner of the Western Pacific, wit 'n contro l
co a= : the French :s-ana colonies over thousands of miles .
Before the :=gar, the Governor was assisted by a Genera l
Counci: of 1=.; New Caledonian citizens, as well as by a
hrivt Council of his otto de partment heads . It was the -
General Council which, iv i 9'_c, votes unammously t o
join the Free French movement, supported by practicall y
the whole populace . French and native, and thus Coln th e
United Nations .
The present Governor is appointed by General h e
Gaulle, and is assisted by a single council of I_ citizens .
Noumea has a separate municipal administration to
carry on its local affairs. The mayor is a ppointed by th e
Governor and is advised ov an elected municipal council .
The other main settlements are goi erned by elected municipal
commissions, each under a prominent local person
32
as President; and aided by the necessary . Governmen t
officials, called tonctionnctrcc . (fay k-si-a«•-NEHR) .
Each general . district outside Noumea is supervised b y
what the .French call a gendarme (,zhah-DARM), a combined
police officer and administrator . The gendarm e
holds the rank of sergeant in the French army and i s
saluted by soldiers In the local force . He usually make s
the rounds of his district by motorcycle . All mining companies
and plantations, for example, are supposed to pa y
wages to their laborers in the presence of the gendarme,
to avoid later disputes . He also looks after the affairs o f
the native Caledonians . In Noumea there are special loca l
police. These should not be confused with the gendarmes .
If a native New Caledonian leaves his tribe, gets a ne w
yob or wishes to move his family, he must first get per -
mission from the gendarme . Result : There is no love los t
between them .
Sanitary Conditions . On the whole, you will find Ne w
Caledonia a healthy place to be, it you observe a few
simple rules .
.New Caledonian mosquitoes are very annoying, so yo u
had better take good care of your mosquito net. Th e
giant cockroaches may startle you and also the gian t
lizards, which grow to be a foot or more long . The y
33

look fierce but are entirely harmless .- There are no lan d
Shake s
Your main dangers are in the sea, and here you d o
have to be somewhat carefu . Never fool 'v tth a snak e
in the water if you happen on one, as you are likely t o
do near the little islands offshore . The sea moccasi n
which is something like our 'cater moccasin_. is th e
familiar danger . There is some argument about whethe r
it is deadly . out no smart soldier will treat it uke a buddy ,
Peo ple Long in . the tropics or subtrop:es are likely t o
x posed to hookwor hand m be e other intestinal p arasites ,
and to be bothered by o r.senters To check this latte r
ailment, the i'an es cat it certain grass v.h:cl= is calle d
":dysentery grass" and is su pposed to have a herbaceous
effect . Our troop s
have Made not a tev,
noble exper :men_t s
with this oarticu!a :
variety or hay, an d
up .to date nobody;
has been hurt, thoug h
the record is contuse d
as to whether any -
body has been helped .
So iii you see a crca -
34
Lure eating grass in New Caledonia, don't shoot! It ma y
be the corporal .
There are two sources of infection-drinking impur e
water and eating uncooked vegetables, The Noumea .
crater has been approved by American health authorities .
Even so, it rs wisest to follow the exam ple oflocal peopl e
and always use bottled or boiled water, or -safer yet ,
drink water only from out of chlorinated lister bags i n
American army camps . The water in the mountai n
streams (this information for the benefit of hikers an
case of an emergency) is usually pure . In the northwes t
part of the island the water is said to have a high minera l
content which is likely to kee p a soldier doing a maratho n
to the rear. So drink easy !
Another small precaution ; it is wisest to wear shoe s
when you walk on coral and keep ass as erona it whil e
s'S':imming . Cuts from coral can become badl y Infected .
Skin infections are common and there is some leprosy .
Known lepers have been carefully segregated in one sec -
tor of the island : There is a high rate p it venereal diseas e
with the worst infection among the Javanese women .
Venereal diseases were not knoss n in the Pacific island s
before the coming of the white man although there wa s
a mild equivalent called "yaws' . which is still prevalen t
among the native peoples . In modern times syphillis an d
I N :"ANTRY JOURNAL Library
3 5

gonorrhea have been spreading, especially by way oN th e
ports and the laborers . quartets. Our troops have learne d
hot to tare chances .
Throughout New Caledonia toilet tacilitles are tern°
primitive by our standards . Thus i s even true in the tow n
of Noumea . Ao closed-i-l set;era~e system- exists ant -
where in New Caledonia . Take precautions against possible
infections .
36
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATIO N
Money . New Caledonia has already shifted to a local currency
system . The local currency has been pegged at 4 3
Noumea (paper) francs to the dollar . There is very little
metal money or token coinage rema ining_
on the island .
The money units are the franc (FRAH) - and the centim e
.( one hundredth part of a franc ; pronounced "sah -
TEEM") . There are paper notes of five, twenty, on e
hundred, and five hundred franc denominations . The coi n
values are :
5 cenumes (copper)=a Lttle over .dr C . S . cent (ottea calic o
a CCU .
to centimes (copper) =a attic over 1-,-U S . cent .
25 centuries isOcer) =a little over U. S . cent .
Sn cenumes (silver) =a little over r U . S . cent.
t tram.. (silver)=a little ever 2 U . S . cents .
2 francs (silver ;)=a liale over 4 C ; . S . cents .
You are also likely to come up against Australia n
money in this region. The Australian pound (L'A) i s
officially set at three-quarters of the value of the Britis h
pound sterling (L) . At the latest reckoning, one £A i s
worth somewhat over 3 U. S. dollars . The Australian

money units are as :follows : the pound, which .equals . 2
shillings, or about L . S. S3 .2o ; the-shilling, which equal s
12 pennies or pence, about- U . S. 16 cents : two and six -
pence or haiucron n : the penny. worth about t?i, cents .
The Australians use English-type coins and notes . The
coins are the half-penny° (havp `nce) ; penny: threepenc e
(thrupoenee) ; sixpence; shining; two shillings, or florin ,
The notes are ,.north shillings, i pound, 5 pounds ,
anQ 10 rounds .
Time . The calendar and method of telling time follo w
French customs . The folio :ing are the days of the week :
Monday is .d ; Tucsla~, ,Herr,'. , Wednesday, ncicredi;
Thursday, rend( ; Friday, cce-di'cdi, Saturday, iRaqi ;
and Sunday is dirriar.ncc . Sec page _S . )
Official French time, as to oticlal L . S. Army time ,
is reckoned by the European clock, which counts th e
hours after noon as 13 .
night 24 o clock .
14, 15, and so on, making mid-
In New Caledonia, when VOL wake up, it is stil l
,ea reid:~' in the United States . At S a . m. on Monday i n
New Caledonia, ,t will be p . ah. ( Standard Time) Sunda„
in New York and p . m . Sunday rn San Francisco .
The time is :6 hours ahead of the eastern seaboar d
(Standard Tine? and 19 hours ahead of the Pacific Coast .
38
Weights and Measures . In New Caledonia, the Frenc h
metric so°stern is used E In reckoning d i stances and other
measures . This is as follows :
Length s
kdcn-,c:et=aosut su tan '.a pulp s .
I. nscter-acou : 3; MC .:IaS .
s cnct„ncter-abort tour-tenths Ot an t nc'e ,
I i:']i .binctcr = :.b :.ut a t '.`.5"a',_rt :=- o `- an Inch ,
metric ton= 22e.4,62 p.unes ,
cuint_1=a2o .46 uonnu's ,
Weight s
1 kLagra; m . - kilo-rc°c and a htt Faunas 2 .20 46 punch .
gMmrne 15,a32 = =.n , or o .c353 OunCeS .
Capacit y
i hectorce .i:e_:=a83 U . S . bus:.chi, o r
26,415 U . S . ga ;lons .
liter--6 ;,525 cubic Inche

HINTS ON PRONOUNCING FRENC H
THESE are -pronunciation hints to help you in listenin g
to the French `anguage records which have been sup -
plied to your troop unit . They will also hel p you with
the pronunciation of actcitlona: words and phrases give n
in the vocabulary below, which are not included in th e
record .
There is nothing very difficult about French excep t
that. as in English, many words arc not pronounced a s
they are s pelled .- Therefore, the instructions and -;ocabu n
lure below are not based on the written French language ,
but are a simplified system of representing the languag e
as it sottruts . This system contains letters for all th e
sounds you -; ;ius ma--ce to be understood . It does no t
contain letters for some of the sounds you wilt hear . bu t
it will give you enough to get by on, both listening an d
speaking .
So that you may be able to read the familiar word s
you will see, the French spelling of each word and phras e
s given in parentheses ,
Here Are a Few Simple Rules To Help Yo u
1 . Accents . You know what the accented syllable of a
word . Is, of course. It is the syllable which Is spoke n
louder than the other syllables in the same word . We
40
yyilI show the accented (loud) syllables in capital letter s
and unaccented syllables In small letters . French is not a s
consistent as English is about accenting the same syllabl e
in the same word In every sentence. However, you wil l
help yourself get the " feel " of French if you speak th e
part of the word louder which we write here in capital .
letters .
2, Vowels . These are the kinds of sounds we represen t
in English by e a, e, c, u, ah, ay, etc. Just follow the ke y
below and you will haye no trouble .
r1H or ah equals the a in nicer . Exame .e : Is G,4HR (la gate )
meaning "railroad station "
ar a equals a sound between the a c to and the a o f
rather . Listen carer lly for n on the record .
Example : n;a-1?,5?i4 (madame'. meanin g
'madam . "
AY'R' or am equa .s the are in 1,sw, but not so drawled Example '
Pil:'R (ears) meaning 'pork .'
AY or as equals the a :, in (Say, but not so drawled . Example
L :1Y (lair ; meanin g "milk . .
EE or tic equal= the ee in 7eee Examine : deez-(FEET (dix .
bit) meaning "eighteen . "
EH or eh equais the e in get. Example : SEHL (selj meanin g
"salt . "
41

EU or eu is like the t m hint said with the li ps rounded a s
though about to say the oc in bco . Example :
lino EU (lee ceuts) mcanieg "eggs . "
OH or oh equals the c in go, but not so drawled . Example :
LOH (beau) meaning "water . "
- 00 or co eeue .s the 0 . . .- it w . . Example : 00 [oil) meanin g
"where .'
U or u equals the

Excuse me -e h .q-S K L'-z a y
vfi:'AH (excusez-rr.oi )
Yes-WEE (our)
No-NAT {non )
Do .you understand :-k,iiE
PRUH-oa ; 1'00 con; prenez-vons
i
Where is-00 AY est )
the restaurant-luh reii -tch -
RAH (le reetatumnt )
Where is the restaurants-0 0
AY in;h rei;s soh-RAH it
cot Ie reo:aurara r
the hotel-caw -TEH L
(Yhctel)
Where s the hotel?-00 A Y
law-TEPEE (or ; ear t%etei )
the railroad s t a t : to n l a
GAHR (la gore )
To the right-a DRWGAHT ( h
droate i
To the Lett-a GOHSFJ' 1 :
Stra :gh.r ahead-too DRWA H
(tort droii)
44
Locatio n
Qlrectlon s
I don t ndersrand-zi;oh t:
hu h
K:i T- PR .4H pa : (ie s c
comp ends pas )
Steak slowly. please-PAR-lay
LA.'H-i-tn ah . ten c oo PLA Y
(F»!'fen lc?fe?neni . £ 'tl totes
plait )
Where is the rai :road statron-
00 AY (a GAHR (oh cs t
the . tai ';et-2a .ivai;-LEH T
tie toilette )
Where is the toilet--00 A Y
la swain-LEHT (ors cot la
toilette )
Shot, roe: 4'least-nit17Vtra1
IdWAH, see? too PLA Y
(nron ;rez-rite), Oil horsy plait. /
(If you are driving and ask the distance to an'o :hcr town, i t
will be given you in kilometers, not miles . )
Kilometer--KEE-Ioh-SfEHTR (kilornctre )
One kilometer equals
of a mile .
Number
I You need to know the numbers l
Onc-UH (un)
Thirteen-TREHZ ltretze )
Two-DEG (deux) Fourteen - ka-TAWRZ (gaia -
Three-TRIFAH (irons)
Four-KATR (quatee)
torze )
Fifteen-K4.Z (guir-ze )
Fine-SOAK (cioq)
Six-SEES (sit)
Sixteen-SEHZ (seize )
Seventeen- dee - SEHT (aix -
Seven-SEHT (sept) sept )
Eight-WEET (huit) Eighteen --- deez-TWEET (dix-
Nine-°UHF (neuj)
hint )
Ten-DEES (dix) Nineteen --deez-sUHF (dix-
Eleven-AWZ (ooze)
neut .
Twelve-DOOZ (douze) Twenty-Vet (t;ngt)
(For "twenty-one," "thirty-one," and so on, you say "twenty and
one," and "thirty and one," but tar "twenty-two,' "twenty-three "
and so on, you J ust add the words for "two" and Three" after the .
words for "twenty" and "thirty" as we do in English .)
Twenty-one-VA-ray L7.-- H' (singe
et tin )
Twenty-two-V4 DEC (rtngtdeux)
Thirty-TRAHT ( :recite )
For to-La-RANT (airarante )
Fifty-sd-K .'HT +czvat{ante )
Sixty-srsa-SAHT lootxanfe )
.4 5

("Seventy," "eighty," "ninety" are said " Sixty ten," a r
twenties," and "four twenties ten ." )
Seventy-stow-st7h DEES (se .- Ninety - ku - nefi - :-d- DEES
ranee dra'c arsatre-tinge-dia )
Eighty ka-tech-?' . ( uarre- One hundred-S ~H (eenr )
a cigr) One thousand-.HEEL (mitt e
Designatio n
WSthats tins - ken : err; SA Y
tr' e.t :-ce cue c`es : )
What's that-ken
Food
; ;ynt eiearcttcs--xhz i
Drinking .ate.-LOH ,ui, -
TABL '1 'e ;eu potr,»fe )
A cup of tea-tin TARS ati
TAY .tree :arse Gar tier i
To find out hoar much things cast you say :
How much--'(a:v-bcr-hi ,corrtc :e e
',Vhat time is t r KEHL EUR
a .r-TEEL (Tic.''e heure as:
Two o'clock-eel DEUZ
EUR (il e.,r Ecttx re :cres )
Ten oast two DEL'Z etr ,
DEES hertz ./ ;e-ire: dix )
Quarter pas- five-S .. K cur' nit
K AR (ding hearer _r>~ aurre)
Tim e
A cup of coffee-tin. TAHS du h
Ta-FAY (ucre .arse de caic )
A grass of beet-nn I'FSJ,R dts %
1-ec-YEHR Iran verve de ghee )
A bottle rat sine-eta ,,ac-TA Y
time - a ..
Some _catches-d , :-Iu -
hEHT arcs. alttmeue ; )
The answer ,^ill be given in rr(.r:cr, and cear :cner, Frrs r
-ari_ .f ea_H_
ccua! One 7) 'Sc a . )
i :twenty rons or ere -urdred cen,vrier
Cen:ire-a :IEE?,1 (cecrter
Sous-SOO (sou, )
Franc-FR,71 (franc )
Ha :t oast sin-SEES er u
dt is-.' .EE
dente )
istx heures e :
Quarter at eight- ;FEE T
).IIIA ltc5 K:/R ;eurea
fernier, ( ar!ili :' .)
Three minutes to n_rc-.'t L'H dr
cite T li71/H (nett'
Lures sere: a ucir :
47

At :what hour-a KEHL EL R
ntel :e iieure)
(commence
)
mov,t . ::I: roe-ra,-PE( Ile
cinema )
What time cons the movi e
start :-a KEHL EUR l;uh -
:Mr.' .'S !uh :c-ray-':L-i
nrrelie he¢are coermeace i e
cinema)
Days of the Wee k
the train-i!eh TRA (le :rain )
leaves-PAR (part )
When does the rain leave?a
KEHL EUR PAR TR
u:relle ,erarr par! !e
I a:n )
Ie ;terda~-c'E-}'EHR (h{er )
Tu a r-oji-z! cord-Ti%EE ( aN -
3ourti'iuei 7
Tomorrovr-rirai MA- (amain )
Sunday - d e - H$UHSH (di - Th ursda :-ZHEL'-c.ee (jers :E )
r.-arc- !e)
Fraley- t r H-art./-Gee (ben -
MzndLUH-see (llrr-hi) dress )
Tucsda' --iLSHR-ace (march .) Saturday-SA?d-¢ee (Saeecdi j
.1(Vtdnesaa

tilarch.-.1,1 :iHRS (rums )
pri:-a- .REEL (ar ril )
Mac-,11,-1Y >y:aO
June-z1roo :- (iron )
1'0 -zhreee-YAY .i:'ei-1
August-00 or OOT laori r
Se-3:emhcr-;ehp-7_IHBR (ser -
terr:bre)
oo v-irrh gar-SAI:' garco- -
orother-iu/r FREHR (A 'rre )
child-LAH-FAH (i 'enant)
daugher-la FEE (la )(File )
-ami'. : ., 7a-MEE (la 4:mihe )
rather-lair AEHR (le pere )
husband-ir ;i: ma-PEE (!c 7nati)
arms--fay BRAH (ies as )
body-iu ;r KA( R Is coops )
beck-rr:ii DOH (ie dos )
ea.-iaw-RA Y (1 oreiiie )
cars-lays art--RAY (les orCil i'es )
eye-LEAee (1'o£sl )
e Fcs-la+:z YEA (le ; yc'trx )
finger-Yu, DP/AH (le do.gt )
foot-:tri; pee-AY (le p led )
hair-lay chuff-VEL (Ies enc. -
t(erex)
Relationships
Human Bod y
aerobe, ate .1-TAi;'BR (oclobre
)
November -rlct-V,AIBR {ne -
0eniGre )
Deceenocr-r ;-S .SHBR (dc -
girl-ia ZHEZ'A' FEE (Jeun e
^lie)
man-LA f: 'L1 (i'hcn,me )
mother---la •OEHR (la mere )
snstcr-ha SEAR Is cocra- )
n-i'rri: FEES (le fiis j
s-oman cr wife-i.a FAM (is
!ern>ne)
hand-la M ris naa :n )
head-la 7ENT (ia SSA )
:eg-a JAHB (la jambe )
both-l :: BOOSH (la boruhe )
nick-- .(t( j; 1

idge-tuh FAIT' (le port )
church.--lay-GLEEZ (1 'Fgli;e )
town or crtila PEEL (la nille )
mar'.ke[-itch- Bear-SHAY (!e
7earc'he )
path (,rail ; pass} ae sa t-YA Y
(le scnzier )
post office-iuh bu-ROH anti
PAii'ST (le bureau de post )
animal-!a-nee-:l1AL (I ' atamal )
bird-la a-ZOH (1'oueai )
camel-iuh sha-MOH (le c :an:eau
)
eat-iuh SHA fie chat )
chicken (hen)-(ui pno-L A
it pourer )
cow-1a VASH (la cache )
deg-ir :h 51-1 (ie shier. )
donkey-LAN (1 1dre )
duck-Iii: ka-l'AR (le canard )
burrow-:uh bee-Tee-KOH (le
bourdtvot )
goat-la SHEHU'R ((a shire)
Surroundings lice-lay P00 (ies pauz) bedbugs -le pu-L'EHZ (Ies
Animals
Insects
police post-ia paws; dui; ptth -
LEES (la poste de police)
road-la ROOT (la route )
shop (store)-Ia boo-TEEK (la_
6oretrgrre) or (oh n:a-ga•Z A
(le rnagasin )
street-1a RU (la rue )
village-irah peel-AZH (le village
)
well-Irslt PWEE (le putts )
horse-iuh shah-l,'AL (lc (-heval
)
mouse-lull soo-REE (le soaris )
mule-2rd nice-LAY (le Tnulet )
pig-lul: kch-SHA1T' (le co -
chan )
rabbit-Irrh la-Psi- (le lapin )
rat-iuh RA (le rat )
ssheep -Ia bray-BEE (la Grebir )
snake-Leh ehr-P.41 (le serpent
)
scorpion----luh skara'r-pee-Ai Tr
(le scorpion)
flies-lay SIOOSH (Ies n;ouches) mosquitoes -lay MOOS •TEEK
fleas---lay PODS (lee puce.) (lee moustiques)
52
spider -la-rehr.-YAY (I'ararg- punasses )
nee)
Trades and Occupation s
baker-iuh boo-late--ZHAY (le
eoulangee )
barber - lrih kraal) - FEUR (l e
coiLeur)
blacksmith - lrsh tour - chuh -
RAiP (le iorgeron )
butcher - fun, b co - SHAY (le .
couclser )
cook-iuh e,rvee-zeen-Y AY (le
ewsinier )
p rat-prrihm-YAY ( premier )
second-sch-KAT{D (second)
third - isnaltz - YENS! ( rrctst -
emne)
fourth - kat-ree-Y EH:r1 iitia -
trieme )
fifth -suk-ee-YEHb1 escora -
em e
sixth-seez-YEHLi (sixierrc)
Numbers
Clothin g
coctor-lui: aaAls-TEL'R (i'e
eocrctrr) or brri; tared-S A
nuddecirA
farmer-leis rehr-nlcr-Y~ellI s
iermrer )
mechanic-iuh ma}-ke-ree;-Y d
ie n:ccan?c ;en )
shoemaker -lid: boar -du h
YAY tic cordonrier )
tailor-.u/i to-YEUR tie rai! -
ler : r
avcnth-seh :-YEHa1 I septteni e
erhth-u-eer-YEH-SI (huitieme )
n.nth-near-YE/IS! (ne:asiente )
eltn-decz-YhH,Sf di .xicnnc' )
eleventh - YEH,Ii (orz) -
erne )
twelfth - doez-YEHS1 (lend;
h it-la sit-YIP Its crrcture) coat-Itch parr-SC (le perdesbeots-lay
BUNT (Ls bottes) sus)
53

gloves-ia; G .~I'~ lee gm: ;)
hat-)r ;b abe-POH tie ci;apear :
nccktie H ra-:'AT ('e eta -
rate )
shirt-in si.r,L-SIEEZ (la enemlee)
h a- a ; ;:au-SUR (le ; c!:arr_ -
sr, res )
good--BAIT' lor e
had-maw- I. '.4Y . rnaa i n )
big-GRAN (Erma )
srna'l-pun-TEE (petit )
sc'.; . n1a-L,4D i n.aiade )
w&I--.ice-Y.1 ' eaur-T .bH (bee n
pa,7anf )
atn hungry-ZHAY F:1 ('a ,
ra in: )
I sm thirsty-ZH .aY S ;VAH F
Il ia! soil )
h .ack-A'WAHR (cor )
white-EL,'I K (blanc )
rod-ROOZH (rouge )
b:ue-ELEU (l ieu )
goer.-VEHR (cer !
chow-ZHOFIY ( ; dune )
high OH 1neo ; :
la-v-BAH (bas )
^r;
s .':'ai.lo5':-pate prate-t.'ti~i (pas
prove
Adjectives
socks- :'ay Awu-SEHT
cnau ss e;,'es)
stveatar-i'uh pui- :aw-VEH R
glulec'er )
parauion )
undershirt-inn ;rce-KOH ;l e
co :d---FR,?iV )
hot-5HOH (cr':aisx )
` c-a-n :ou-YAY (r:arr.'lir-- ; .
SEHK {sec)
eagcns . .e-SHEHR ;crier)
cheat'-hato mar-SHAY ('ear ,
marehe j
e-no -i'EED (tide)
Lull PL.T (plea:')
cng-LAT' (long )
short---KOOK ( (-oar! )
read"-PREH (prey )
c :eer. PRL'HFR (plopre )
dirty-SAL (sale )
c'.al-t ec-YEO (vaeax )
ne'. . rco-i' OH (nouveau )
';dung-ZHEUN [ieru;c )
other OHTR ?atrnre ;
'app) . contenreti-K l;'-T,JH
( C :a;rera)
I-ZHUH Cie }
we-NOO (sous.)
you-VOO (cans )
heEEL (i1 )
she----EHL teller
thcs'-EEL (iis j
this-S L' H Ice) masculin e
SEHT oche) Jem ;nrn e
these-SAY Ices)
that-SOH (cc) 'ececulirta .
SENT (cc!re) `eo.innln e
or more dehnire-SUH
LEA (ce - - - id) rsarcisliace .
SENT . LA (emi t .
iEr21rir7-' e
those-SAY Ices) . Marc dchntte,
Sfi}' . . . LA car . . . hi )
tny, mine---.-IA H7 (se;or, )
our, ours-HOH (nos)
Pronouns, etc .
Prepositions
his, h_-w-SEH (se) reaserdhae ;
Sri (ea) 'ern .n .n e
dour, :ours-VOH (vas )
the r. the :rs-LEUR (Zero)
ho-KEE (dui )
hat-k'i'H (,;ue) .
how n nv-r'ta'7-lee-.L (corr. -
Len )
how tar---KEHL de-e-STAHHS
(queue distance)
somebody-a',ehi-KCH (duel -
s rn )
anyone - &ehl-K.4~t s K
en nurse )
ever ybod y- too Luk !IAJVD
(tour le niarlde )
ramcnaing-bcial-k r‘n - SHOHZ
(aue)oaae (nose )
tar-POOR (pour) on SUR (cur )
iron-DOH (de) . to-A ("3 )
1o-D4H dare) with-a-VEHK (evec) '
or-DUH (de)
Adverbs
above-on dtl,-SU (au dessue) beside-a itch-TAY [a cote )
again-ate-KAWR (encore) below--nn def:-SOO (ar. des -
(derriere) sous}
54 55

enough-a-SAY (asset )
tar-itc'!f-TAIL (loirtarn )
here-ee-SEE ( (Cl )
in front-a7 FAS (en Jace )
less-'dL'r .1- (mean; )
more-PLL' (pies )
much-Solr-K00 (nearrco ap )
and-AY (et) .
but-MAY (niais )
if-SEE (si )
What date is today -KEH L
ZHOOR ay-TEEL (fsuel roar
est-d2 )
The fifth or June, ctc.-lrr h
S-TK zhoo- .1 (le cirri min )
What day. o± the week_ --KI EH L
ZHOOR di;I 1a stiff-?,rEH't• ?
(Qrici rout he Is semaine? )
Tuesday, cte .---dYAAHR-dee (rrrar -
ai)
Conjunction s
neat-swan-Z3 i x'02400 )
on that side- Aufi snn koh-TA Y
la (de ce cote 1a )
on this side-null sriir koh-TA Y
see (de Cc' Cote a )
there--Lz (la )
':ery-TREH (tries ,
or-00 (oii )
dint-KUH (que)
Points of the Compass
north- '-4[:'R (nerd) cent--d1HST (its! )
south-SLI D f dtrd) west-iii EHST (ones : )
56
Phrases for Every Day
Cone here-tarn- z)YZ ee-SE E
(Tenet-rci )
Conte auiekiy-euS-AY i'-EE T
(Venez rite )
Go quickly-a-LAY VEET (,4lfez
cite )
Who arc sour-KEE eht b'00
Qin eics-00x0
What do you want =-KUH coo -
LAY VOO (Que iorsleacoo
.- )
Where - the nearest 'ow n
00 AY la PEEL- la PLL'
PRUHSH (Ori es : as ville la
rind prOCSte? ;
Be ceretul!_ CEHT a-rri ;-YAW
. .(Eai tes arre!1ir0Y:' )
'M!-s.re Can i :ceps -00
PP'EEZH dau-r-).; EER (O :
prr;-;C norms? )
Wait a imnutei--UH moil-MAP.
(Ln n.CYAe7it )
haven't any mone'-ZHUH
NAY PAH dar-ZH .4H ' Jo
pas r

(lc gai+;ce )
In Nev.. Caledonia genera :11 a
s :ro-i-to rs a native scc', edore, a
woma n
In .Nos°: Caledonia a nativ e
(Melanesian) woman is-?a
;
: u -pee-\' c ((cc -op :ne )
. ;ate :rne:on is particularly con : -
mor-ia fair.-TEh1i (la p : -
.ariee)
cocoanut V r inH .. :eir .vo A
KOH (Pr corn de coca )
bananas-'sirsa-NA1' ( :a (~a
coma' )
guava-la g,4rcer- 7' (n got roe)
in Yea Caledonia there are no
Relationships
Food and Drink (Note Especially )
passenger railroads but a pas-
senger bus service known as-
'arc- ;oil-BUS (1 m ;'cl;n(
Pay _artic'tt .ar arrzc-mon sun s
warning you o any' apnroach -
.g-Yaa-YAT .lc ra ' icr ;
This Is a sunken concrete Jett y
58
servin g as a bridge across
Surrounding s
A. Javanese woman . generally '
a servant, is.- i i;-YO U
(ca Prear! )
.1 Tonkinesc woman, gener-
ally a servant, ]s-?a it-
GAHee No cosign: )
ra ::ea.pp . .
r:oyj
s;o-\'AH ara -
arrow-roots
rgr :nri;a )
ame recs.-YPI M
native lobsters-fa lno-0005 1
L. L,ego :r . .c )
ocsters---n HP EETR (ia ;r ;,src
streams, and can break eve n
the s prings of a cap, unles s
traveled over slowly .
Cable Fern•-i:ri: BalK (le Par )
Shop, store an Naw Caledoni a
ge-nertl.v-irt-:
a :ere)
(lc
ranch-1; :L - .n--YAii' ,ra -
NOTE S

NOTE S
RU . S . GOVERNMENT PAINTING OFFICE ; 1543-530'12