THE NEW HEBRIDES.

Greymouth Evening Star, 22 January 1903, Page 3

THE NEW HEBRIDES.

[PEK PRESS ASSOCIATION —COPYRIGHT,] Received this day at 10 55 a.rn Sydney, Jan 22. Pator visiting Sydney speaks hopefully of mission work in the New Hebrides, Ho siys that since the appointment of the Anglo-French commission much 'of the friction that formerly existed has been swept away and the dispute is now settled. The authority commands respect and spreads confidence. The change means a largo commercial gain to the islands, traders and settlers, however, strongly favor British annexation, and hope that it may still be brought about He considers that new settlers have good prospects for the future, and with patience should do well. The great evil was the trading in firearms, which was carried to a lamentable degree amongst the natives. Just befoie ho left the captain of a French schooner while landing the body of an islander who died aboard, was shot dead and two of the crew badly wounded. Some parts of the Islands were suffering severely from drought. A settler at Epi gives an account of kidnapping three of his native boys by an armed party of Frenchmen. The boys had to run away frpm the French settlers owing to illusage. He alleges that the French allowed a company to sell natiws fr a tem of years, and gives

instances where they were whipped and treated like slaves. He appeals to the authorities through the press to sot the enslaved boys at liberty-