New Hebrides.

Hokitika Guardian, 4 February 1922, Page 4

New Hebrides.

AUSTRALIA’S INTERESTS

SYDNEY, Jan. 25

An interesting statement concerning Australia’s interests in the New Hebrides, is contained in a recently-issued Parliamentary paper. .The statement records that since 1902 the Commonwealth Government .has spent approximately £131,000 in the New. Hebrides—£2,ooo for assistance to settlers in preparing land claims, £4OOO in refund of Customs duties, and about £IOB,OOO oil a steamer service. Australia naturally gets the bulk of the export trade as a result of this latter expenditure. Australia’s main interest, however, lies in the fact that the natives of New Hebrides are decreasing, and labour must be imported. The French own the bulk of the land and are anxious to import Asiatic labour. The presence of any considerable number of Asiatics so near Australia would be embarrassing and possibly dangerous. The French own 600,000 hectares out of a totfil of, 1)200, pDO lieptaresofjand. The natives own about 552,000 hectares. A French company, known as the Soeiete Francaise des Nouvelles Hebrides, is the owner of the 600,009 hectares above-mentioned, and, in addition, has. been granted trading concessions in, the group. ajHio ' company is willing to sell its property and trading concessions for 25 million francs (about £500,000).

The possibility of the sale to British interests has been disclosed to the French Government, and it is started that.-the transaction will inept with, no objection on tiieir part. The prohase of this property by British interests would reserve the present position so far as dominant land ownership in the group is concerned, and such would pass from French to British control. If is understood that Japan is pressing the selling for an offer failing Australian acceptance.

Apropos of th© proposed sale, -M. de Saboulin, director, has forwarded to the French Colonial Office on behalf of the Messagaries Maritimes, a. letter stating that the company has received information from an English source that Mr Hughes, Prime Minister of . Australia,, proposed at the last Imperial Conference in London that the French rights in the New Hebrides should be abandoned in exchange for other Colonial compensation or in reduction, of the debt due to the United, Kingdom by Franeo.

Proeeding, M. d© Saboulin states that the interests of Franco in the New Hebrides are much greater than those of British subjects. He claims that three-quarters of the land under cultivation is owned by French subjects. Also there are 600 French, as compared with 200 British in the lands. The large portion of the business done is in the hands of New Caledonian firms, and .French; lines of steamers ply more regularly to the islands than do the British. In Anew of these facts, he claims..' that the Condominium should he abolish ed and the islands should revert to France. He states also that a portion of. the British, who, he says, are victims of the British leaders, would also be in favour of such a change. As an example of public opinion in the New Hebrides and New Caledonia, he points’ out that when the possible cession of tlie islands to the British was. discussed a commitee of protest was, formed in Noumea (New Caledonia), and at the same time there was a demonstration by the .French colpnists from the New 1 Hebrides, who were at that time; in Noumea. ’These colonists visited the Governor of New Caledonia, and requested him.to protest most vigorously against the pretensions of the; Australians, who. they claimed, were_ menacing the existence of New Caledonia itself.