NEW CALEDONIA AND CONVICTS.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXVI, Issue 43082, 16 April 1907, Page 4

NEW CALEDONIA AND CONVICTS.

[to, <ja,ble message -published a few buys ■ago to- the. effect -,-thftfc vould send no more -convicts to - IN ew JfledMM#- toH- - MO.- Utob ha=v« been eoeived with satisfaction, where noted, .htougliourtr A ustralasiaß” -Ther-existence >f a large convict settlement so near o (Australia must 'be regarded as a nenace and ai danger to the Comtnonr srealth. It has been "found impossible to present criminals occasionally escaping and finding'their waiycte'Ausralia, and as they aaO mostly of a lesperate class, they are-very undesir,ble visitors. Generally’ they have veen quickly recaptured, and ; sent jack to the French colony, but there pas always the risk that whilst at large hey .might commit acts- .of violence, [to announcement that the transporiation of convicts is not tor be -:rerumed will not, however, please some >f the 'citizens of .New Caledonia. For b long time there has been a strong tgdtation for such resumption. The residents of Noum ea. > were much/ divided m the question. On- the one'side;- it vas contended that the convicts would mpply the cheap labour needed ! for :he development of colonial; entermses;. and. on the other hand, they vere objected, to as causing-Mi Tinf&ir competition with free, honest workmen, and also, by lowering the* tone >f the population, -preventing the coming of respectable immigrants. Until juite recently the movement in favor >f the resumption of convict transportation was regarded as likely to pe successful, as it had the support yf miany influential cdtizens. Australia das during the past few; years foryarded to the Home Government strong protests against the further influx of criminals to New Caledonia, and there is little doulbt ‘ but that thesubject was considered ait .the. international conference on the., control >of f-.he New Hebrides. The determinatioc nJob to renew the' system of sending cOnvidfe to the Paoifiu is one of the many , happy results of ’the friendly relations ‘between England and