THE NEW HEBRIDES

Feilding Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 4593, 19 May 1922, Page 2

THE NEW HEBRIDES

CONDOMINIUM DIFFICULTIES. (By Eleetrio Telegraph.—Copyright.-) CAust. and N.Z. Cable Association.; Sydney, May 18. Mr Justico Devers, who was lecently appointed British Judge offie New Hebrides Condomium,. was welcomed by the Presbyterian Assembly. He said recognised tho difficulties of the position under the Condominium Government. It rested with him and the French officials to make things work smoothly and satisfactorily, and he trusted he would be able to do so. Tho Assembly, dealing with the foreign missions report, discussed the* New Hebrides position. The report stated that the outlook politically was gloomy. The condominium continued with its grave injustices and irregularities. Cases of illegal recruiting ocurred and drink was freely supElied to the navites. Gambling was ecoming more prevalent. The.'e was liitlo or no causo for complaint aga'nst the British settlers, and cases against them were dealt with, but similar cases against French citizens or those under French rule were condoned, even shielded. The report approved the efforts of the Prime Ministers of Australia and New Zealand to secure complete British control of the group, and urging them, while paying due regard to French claims and susceptibilities, to continue their efforts to that end. The Rev. Mr McGowan said one missionary reported that at a heathen dance fifty bottles of grog were consumed. Mission schools were being wrecked by the sale of grog. He warmly denied statements made by a French paper that the Presbyterians had instituted veritable serfdom to cultivato its own estates, and that threo southern islands had become a dependency of the British clorgy. He regretted having to make these statements, but tho French themselves had said that if they got the group Protestant missionaries would bo expelled. He also drew attention to the growth of Japanese in tho islands; they now outnumbered all Europeans in New Caledonia and the Now Hebrides, and more wore coming. The French at first welcomed them, bu£ now would bo glad to get rid of them. Would Australia, ho asked, wake up too late?