BRITAIN AND TAHITI.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVII, Issue 218, 12 September 1906, Page 2

BRITAIN AND TAHITI.

WITHDRAWAL OF FRENCH TROOPS. Uhen the mai i st r-atner ftonoma left St luvT™ a r - cporr was cum ' nt "« that cay to mc ehcct that nerrotiations proceeding between England and 1™ r «P ( the Tahiti Group. It 7, on the authority of a lar~e landowner of the islands that France Is -Mxnu to abandon Tahiti, and sell the island to Great Britain. Fetters received in an rranri-r,- also make the same statement, flic ~.,„„., (savß Uw l-nincseo "Fbronieh") ' Is io the «.„''.. ct , lt lj ? ""MioritWure perfecting, their pU.'s slowly and by tuc gradual withoi Government stores, ammunition nmc, valuable machhierv, and the recall ot both the military 'and naval °'! : '7 Fihiuans arc impelled to the belief that the island will either be sold, or an exchange be made for some other island. Jt is not thought in Papeete that negotiations are pending with the Lulled States., but the consensus of opinion i- that the i ß | ana wln b( , turned over to tne English, who have already made inn claun that Tahiti Mas practickllv a Briti-'h ijosses-jou once, but when England was making deals with France ami Spam -he let tae Filiitian Group tro to !'"r-in.-.*. Of late ye-fi-s the English,' it is "!''"""'''■ have been paying some attention to tile Tahitian '.'roup.' and closer rcbtri'ons have been eslabli-h-d between Tahiti and Xew Zealand. The natives them.-,<'lve.s arc indifiorcnt as to ownership. They are not particularly friendly to the i'rcnc.i. and .-..mc of the leading Tahiliuns. such ; ,s 'J'ati Salmon, are openly pro-British in their sympathies, having British blood in their veins and bavin- been educated in Kngland. Mr. .AtWiitiT. who spends one-hnlf of his time in i'apect - and tlie oilier half iv San F-ranc- co. wa- a-ked whether there was any foundation to the report that the l-'r.-neh were prepared to yield up the ownership of the grot,p. •'There is not the hast doubt of it," he said. "The Government has recalled every soldier from there. The tine Government buildings have been abandoned, all the expeny\\'\ machinery has been taken away: ail -I"!-.'- have been removed, and there is every indication that: the rench arc preparing to leaic.'' Mr. Atwater is a lar-j-e property owner in Tahiti, and was American Consul there for several years lie has an intimate knowledge of tlie af fairs of the island. He feels confident that the Briti.-h flag will replace the French ling on the nio«t beautiful of aL the islands in the South Pacitic.