TAHITI.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12704, 28 July 1919, Page 4

TAHITI.

LECTURE BY FRENCH

VISITOR.

The French island of Tahiti is well known to New Zealanders as a port of call on the Sail Francisco trip. M. Emile Marting, engineer in charge of the phosphate works on the neighbouring island of Makatea, believes that Papeete, the principal port of Tahiti, might be made a stopping place Jot most of the steamers that come to New Zealand and Australia by way of Manama. M. Marting, in his lecture at Canterbury College on Friday night, gave some very interesting details of the Islands and their people. _M. described the many beautiful tropical islands of the Pacific, such as Cook Island, Bougainville Island and others, and he traced f he regular lines in which they lay. lie indicated that there were two classes 'of islands, volcanic and coralline, although the coral islands were built on some submerged volcanic peak. Tahiti was volcanic, while Tuamotu was coral, and was one of those islands which had been elevated by volcanic action. The climate of Tahiti was tropical and was not too hot for Europeans, although too long a stay resulted in ansamia. The heat, however, was moist, averaging 78deg, and ranging up to OOcleg at Makatea in the night time. Makatea, M. Marting said, was 125 miles N.N.E. of Papeete. It had supplies of phosphates estimated' at ten million tons, and the pre-war exports were 100,000 tons, of which 35,000 tens were shipped to New Zealand for conversion into superphosphates. The Makatea phosphate gave a test of 85 per cent, which was very high grade, and it was greatly in demand on account of its suitability for superphosphates. Referring to the climate, M. Marting said that the south-east trade winds were dependable, and made the weather m'or© enjoyable. Cyclones were not so heavy or frequent as in the Indian Ocean, but sometimes tidal waves washed away the reef at Makatea, breaking through the coco trees and drowning many of the natives; but the people soon resumed their normal habits.

The fine soil and excessive moisture, M. Marting said, were favourable to tho growth of trees, and although there were few varieties, the bush was always green. The commonest timbers were mara, moro and tamanu. the lastnamed very suitable for furniture. The pandanus was used for mats, and the purau for tho lightly-balanced little canoes, or catamarans, used by the natives. Ferns were plentiful, and many of them were similar to those of New Zealand. The principal flowers were the hibiscus, of which there were forty varieties of every colour—white, pink, red, scarlet, red with white lines, and so on. At Papeete there were many gardens, and at night it was very celightful' to walk through the streets and smell the perfume of the flowers. Animals were scarce and had to he imported. The natives were v§ry fond of pork; There frere few rare birds, but there was a wild pigeon, the rupe, and molucca merles, very curious birds. Am'ong the seabirds the most curious was the phaeton, with its two long white tad feathers, of which the chiefs made their headdress. The lecturer described the Tahitians as lighter in colour than the Maoris, but upstanding men of fine physique, of peaceable and nonchalant character. Lif© was so easy for the Tahitian 1 , however, that he did not desire to improve ms condition by work. Cook had estimated the population at 80,000. but this was probably exaggerated, and tho present population was decreasing, principally because of European diseases, such as smallpox. The recent Influenza, also, had carried off a fifth of the population. The coco tree, growing luxuriantly everywhere; but prinew pally on the low-lying parts of the islands, provided the natives with nearly ail the necessaries of life, but the oread trees were also important The ignames (yams) and taros were also a valued root crop, but the natives also fished. M. Marting described the 'J amtians as a maritime people, and instanced cases of one man travelling 150 miles in a small canoe alone. He said that tile succession of regular east mcl west winds was favourable to lono- four- + iv« S 0 °L!j IIS . sor ]’ “Penally as the natives understood the stars «nd could ake a bearing. In this connection iho lecturer touched interestingly vm the legendary colonisation of New Zealand by the voyagers from Hawaii! He retoNew < l Ook j )ro , u S ht a Tahitian to New Zealand and the Maoris understood him. This fact supported the most generally accepted theory of ProBrowrL regarding tue origin of the Maoris. In remarking on f r ro ?£ equatorial ocean currents M. Marting stated that bier trees rot f, hja 1 d be « Q washed up ?!r3m tma fr Isalld - Some of them S ln dimeter and from 60ft to -Oft long. These, presumably had fr °™ America. Christmas Island, which was now uninhabited, held the key to which would probably never be found. Many graves had been discovered containing Maori tools beside the skeletons, but one grave was not covered in, and the theory was that the last man, after burying his last companion, du<r his own grave and died in it ° Copra, vanilla, mother-of-pearl, pearls j D . were the principal products of the group, M. Marting said tn a Nnl r °v °, raD ? es ’ which went mostlv nf Si The export value of the islands was growing rapidly, for 7 900 non 6 f lmports increaße d from G200,000 francs i n 1911 to 7,800,000 francs in 1917, the exports had in. rSnooT 7 ’ so °’° oo to 12,000,000 francs. Tuamotu pearls were greatly prized to Europe, and the mother-of-pearl exported m iqio amounted to 700 tons. The Government desired to open up trade, and also encourage tourists to break their journey at Tahiti. Returning New Zealand transports had called at Papeete and had been warmly welcomed. In .1918 two hundred and fiftvthree steamers _ had passed through Panama on their way to Australia and New Zealand, and it, was probable ° f a, “ i could M A J e 7 interesting chapter of M. Marting s lecture dealt with the various visits paid to Tahiti from the days ?r agel ! n ’ Fernandez de Quiros, V\a hs, Bougainville and Cook. In dealing with the annexation of Tahiti to 1 ranee he touched on the Pomare dynasty of Tahiti and the. revolution l-T e w aUP °V n 1 , 897 ’ He said that while 1 ranee for the last century had always looked to have islands in the Pacific, she had given to the natives all the rights of French citizens. The success of these colonising methods were to be found in the fact that the natives had volunteered for service, in the Great War, and France had been able to draw 918,000 troops from her colo mes, including 240,000 from Morocco utuch was the newest colonv This enthusiasm for the cause of France was a valued tribute to her colonisino- success- -The French' colonies, indeed, had provided great schools for French arms. Joffre, “ vainqueur de la Marne, ’ and Gallieni had served in Madagascar, and Mangin in Africa and General-Gouraud had served in Galhpoh with the New Zealanders, the immortal heroes of Gaba Tope. Ti’or the ideals of liberty which France had .'t-.iod for during the past century New soldiers had fought bravely shoulder to shoulder with the soldiers c ranee, and the pages of Messines, or Passehendaele, and many other engagements which had been, written in tire blood of the glorious New Zealanders would never be effaced from the history of France.