NEW HEBRIDES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9933, 23 August 1910, Page 2

NEW HEBRIDES.

THE FRENCH AND THE MISSIONARIES. " A HOLY WAR/' STRENUOUS DENUNCIATION OF THE MISSIONARIES. United Press Asaociation—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright. (Received August 23, 9 a.m.) SYDNEY, August 23. M. Bourdois, Mayor of Port Vila, added that lie thought the pretext under which tho missionaries worked was 'false philanthropy. They were able to act with all security, arid, he might almost say, with the protection of the Governments. It was time to unmask those so-called Men of God, who pursue tho ruin of their fellowmen under tho guise of preaching to tho natives. They were not only the enemies of colonisation, but wero against tho work of civilisation, preventing the natives and Europeans from coming together. "We ask that tho natives," Mr Bourdois wont on, " should be free to work with us."

M. Martin, replying, said that he was already convinced that the labour question would he a niost important one. Chinese were unsatisfactory, and also Indians and Indo-Chinese, but they should consider the Javanese, as they were (.suitable. The matter should bo placed before the authorities in France.

Island news states that M. Colonna, Deputy French Resident ; in the New Hebrides, in welcoming M. Martin, recently appointed to replace M. Mouffiard as Resident, declared that it was fortunate that M. Martin had been appointed head of affairs because the situation was grave. There was a struggle between the settlers and the Presbyterian missionaries. He added : "We must unite against these missionaries, audi if necessary, start a holy war." jM. Bourdois, Mayor of Port Vila, said the great question was that of obtaining labour, for the want of which the plantations were going to rtiin. Plenty of labourers were available in the islands, but were provented. from engaging themselves, though they wanted to. They had two enemies to fight, the copra-makers and the missionaries. The latter were powerful in numbers and wealth.