DOOMED ISLANDERS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1773, 11 June 1913, Page 11

DOOMED ISLANDERS.

DECAY OF THE RACE. The dark-skinned island peoples are slowly melting away. In nearly every group the native race is enfeebled, riven by disease, with no prospect ahead than annihilation. This, in effect, is tho painful story which Mr. Arthur Mahalt'y, Deputy High Commissioner for the Western Pacific, told a "Sydney Morning Ilerald" reporter on his return from tho New Hebrides last week. Mr. Mahaffy said that various causes were producing decay, and one of the chief of these was idleness. Now that the Government kept them off from the old liarassments of war, thev no longer kept active and alert, but "became soft and flabby, and fell easy victims to disease. Thev wero dying last from phthisis mainly, which was making great ravages in all tho islands. The introduction of clothes and other habits had been responsible for ifchis. In consequenco of tho dwindling away of the native population, the labour problem was becoming more and more acute, and ho could see no solution for it as far as tho Solomon Islands wero concerned, but in the introduction of Indian coolics, the same as had br>en done in Fiji. He surecsfbd Indians because it was desirable, if outside labour was brought in, that it should be obtained from some part of tho Empire. As far as the New Hebrides were concerned he was disinclined to discuss the criticisms that had been levelled at the Condominium, but said that as far as lie could see affairs would go on as before.