THE FRENCH IN THE PACIFIC.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 36, 6 November 1907, Page 7

THE FRENCH IN THE PACIFIC.

——«— — ' POSITION OF NEW CALEDONIA. - EXPORT Off CONVICTS. *•." REDUCTION«OF- MILITARY FORCE. | DT TEr.EQß.Al'lt—fc'RESS'-'ASSOCIATION—COPIBIGHT. • 1.., ~ .v.! -Sydney, .November 5. News from New Caledonia states that fe- . >' malo convict* £Cfit.,oijtj for petty crimes are 1 to bo-returned t'o"Firatice in small batches. ■ It is surmised that this repatriation may bo ') the beginning of a' general soliemo. [ It is reported that malo convicts under 1 the age of fifty, and!who have not less than three years 1 -' sentence to undergo, will be sent to French Guiana. At present there iirc about ICOO male convicts, with about an equal number of rc'cidivistcs, or. incorrigiblcs.. i From Jairaaiy are to be reducqd t.o" ,af Marino Infantry, and thirtccin'men'of the Marino Artillery. THb' r '6treiigth''bf 'th<J" ! t i roops will be . rnado up by-local-recruits/«>i\ ' '" 1 The above ! news wjli prob'iibl'y bo regarded'is' I lending coTiSir' : 'ttj tftb various reports which are afloat as to dissatisfaction of tho New Ctile- ! donia colonists 'witli thb' burdens of French administration, ah'd' : hs"to the. possibility: ol i radical changes. Tho petition that was Circulated in.fNeWi,Caledoni,a ';n favour of sale 'of the island to' Britain was piiblished in these i columns ('he '"France AHis-. [ -telle," tlie' French!;',newspaper published in , Noumea (the capital)! coiintmnting on the poti* tion, describes it as a "ridiculous lucubratnm, ! which all-:ilviligood ; patriots of New Caledonia i will hasten to destroy." . : " I'overfffiWay l crush the- Caledonians,' - the .journal adds. "Their hearts, thank God, ,ire 1 truo enoughi to prefer French nationality—u i which- they are born,' 1 under, which they llw. and toil, -which they will die—to the prosperity , thai;, certainly would lie brought' to 1 them by th£'-iiiMirtioratiou 1 of their island in the Commonwealth. I'Tliey lire French,. and [ thoy mean that, like them, l lheir children sliall remain French. ' '■ ' "Having said this, it will not be out of place ; to extract from .the petition the lessons' it teaolies. In fact, the mother country has acted' ' towards us as a cruel • stepmother. Will! the ' mother - country; Much; bv harassing. mbasurcs, i exploits lis iaud-ci'iiiSieO'isf under the weigh!' [ of imposts b\it"o'f "pfoportioh "to our resources, which puts to our oharge'an army, of Civil see. vants who 1 absoi-b every year all the; resources i of our small-Budget—will she understand, >in , short, that in thus exasperating a whole population she risks-iit"'tlur~ond:iosing- tlrcir lovo? "It was by tyrannising over her colonies and remaining deaf to the appeaiSDf her' countrymen in'the Philippines and tho Antilles that Spain ldst'the-,most precious jewels of her ortr- ' sea Domain. JLet our country take guard! Let her administrators think of the teachings of history. If Spain, as the result of a' selfisn policy, lost hpr,colonies, Franco might, helas, one day losS cofiimencing with New Cale-' donia'." ...