NEW ZEALAND'S SAFETY.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 107, 6 May 1913, Page 6

NEW ZEALAND'S SAFETY.

MENACE OP NEW HEBRIDES. SHOULD DUAL CONTROL CONTINUE? The system of condominium government ■in the. X™ Hebrides is causing alarm among all classes of the island community, according to an interesting statement marie to a, reporter this morning by the Rev. Frederick :Paton, a leading worker in the Presbyterian mission, v.! i was founded by hie father many years ago. Mr Pa.ton is returning from an extended tour of the United Kingdom and Canada, and he is a passenger by t.he Marama leaving for Sydney this afternoon.

"During- my visit, to England." eaid Mr Paton, "I interviewed the officials of the Colonial Office and discussed the peed for a better system of government in the Xew Hebrides. The position to ray mind is that the French authorities are just as keen on preserving their interests in those islands as GTeat Britain is. They know that the present system of dmil government is a rotten one, and there-fore something should be done to relieve the situation."

__ Mt Paton expressed the opinion that New Zealand and Australia are vitally concerned in seeing that the New Hebrides do not go under French control. Tiie chief cause for concern, he Raid, was that the French would take no steps to keep down the Japanese population. In fact, the little brown men were being imported wholesale to work the New Caledonian mines. In Honolulu, Mr Pa+on pointed out, the American authorities were fortifying to an enormous extent, and ensuring "that the Japanese and Chinese sections of the communities did not increase: but in Noumea they wp.re being imported, and in some. c..v?rs were coming over to the New Hebridre.

A'sk<?d what remedy he would suggest, Mr Pa.ton said that one proposal seriously put .forward was that the French settlers sh-ould be bought out, thus obviating the need foT condominium government. That, he thought, would take a sum of about £250.000. "It would," be added, "be the cheapest form of insurance for New Zealand and Australia, for at thp present rate of influx by the people of overcrowded Japan the New Hebrides -present a decided menace to these outposts of the Empire." Ho added that by using those islands as a base, the coloured races could ewoop down swiftly on Npw Zealand with armed forces of invaders. In conclusion, Mr Paton remarked that Mr Richard Seddon had determined shorflv be-fore his death to establish a. line of steatnore from New Zealand to thp Npw Hebrides as Australia had done. He thought that it would be to fche advantage of this Dominion to petsevere with the idea.