THE PACIFIC AND ITS PEOPLE

Evening Post, Volume XCV, Issue 43, 19 February 1918, Page 3

THE PACIFIC AND ITS PEOPLE

ADDRESS IN THE TOWN HALL

A most interesting lecture on French Oceania, the Pacific Ocean, and the types of peoples who populate its shores and islands, was delivered by Professor Macmillan Brown m the Concert Chamber, Town Hall, last night, under the auspices of the Navy League. The Mayor (Mr. ■J. P. Luke) presided, and there was a very good attendance of the public. The Professor said that he did not intend to deal with French Oceania alone, but to ; deal rather with its relation to the Pacific as a whole. After referring to the various island groups, the speaker dealt with the many and various problems which face the people of New Zealand^—the Britain of the South. In the future the greater part of humanity would be gathered on the shores of the Pacific, and New Zealand occupied a similar geographical position to Great Britain in the Atlantic. Several strong reasons were given by the Professor for his supposition that New Zealand Had been populated thousands of years ago, one of them being the finding of ovens and implements as deep as fourteen feet from the surface. One race which preceded the Maoris was a negroid type, similar to the natives of New Guinea and the highlands of the New Hebrides, but the high-class Polynesians, which included the Maori, were Caucasians. The characteristics of the two divisions were clearly brought out . by lantern slides. The Maori was not a pure Caucasian, aa there was a touch of the negroid due to raids on negroid races in the Pacific and the carrying off of the women after those raids. The Professor is of the opinion that the Maori is not of Malayan stock, as the Malay represents the small type of man, whereas the Polynesian represents the tall race. Moreover, had the Maoris come from Malay, they would have brought with them rice, a staple food and one easily carried. In support of the statement that Polynesia was at one time connected with South America, the Professor pointed out that several plants and woods were common to boih, but it was not probable that the Polynesians came from America before the subsidence of the land, otherwise maize and other plants would have been brought. The high-clasß Polynesians were of Caucasian stock, and had made their ivay across Asia and then through Japan and the island chain. The aboriginal Polynesians, however, were of the negroid type. Reference was made to Easter and Papeete islands and their famous monolithic stones, and the speaker said that the islands must have originally been very much larger and the populations much greater when the famous stones were built up. Speaking of the French possessions in the Pacific, the Professor said that. New Zealand need have no fear of their proximity, but the question of Germany's possessions was entirely different, and he trusted that her colonies would not be returned after the war. Japan wou' d probably retain Kiaochaou and the Caroline Islands. ' ;

The Professor next dealt with the problems which New Zealand had to faca at home—the question of "socialists" who opposed all/government. The lantern slides with which the lecture was illustrated clearly brought out the points which the speaker made, and many of them threw a new light on scenes which are very little known. At the close of the address a vote of thanks, proposed by Sir Robert Stout, was heartily accorded the speaker. ■