JAPANESE FOR NOUMEA.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1023, 12 January 1911, Page 5

JAPANESE FOR NOUMEA.

RESIDENTS INDIGNANT. By Teleerapli—Press Association—Copyrisht ' Sydney, January 11. Newspaper files received, here from New Caledonia state that three thousand Japanese immigrants, have been landed there to work in the nickel mines, which are controlled by Baron Rothschild. The arrival of the aliens is causing indignation amongst tl(e residents of. New Caledonia. The French colony of. New Caledonia has- been suffering from acute commercial depression for over five years. During that time there have been pratirally no publio works, and the business of private" hrius has been reduced to a minimum. There has been a heavy exodus of. colon-, ists. to the New Hebrides, whilst no new settlers arrived to take the vacant places. At one times there not enough money in the. Treasury to pay the salaries of civil servants, and a 1 state of insolvency was only averted by a loan, which was laised in 1909.

■ There have been three causes far tins depression. Firstly, the stopping of the transportation of criminals put an end to an era of artificial prosperity. France paid for the of the prisoners, and many of the colonists became rich by growing or importing the food which was sold to the authorities. In the second place, when transportation ceased,- nickelmining became, the chief industry .of'the •colony, but" the monopoly" of the richer mineral lands-by a trust, which acted'in' sympathy with the nickel mines'in Canada and 'the United States, prevented the development of the mines,- Lastly, -,a prohibitive tariff on foreign goods itT in force in the colony, which compels the inhabitants to import everything but a few lands of perishable food from France, ahd nius makes the cost of living exceedingly