THE WAIMATE ADVERTISER. THURSDAY, MAY 2, 1901.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume III, Issue 144, 2 May 1901, Page 2

THE WAIMATE ADVERTISER. THURSDAY, MAY 2, 1901.

Things dp not seem to be do-in g: at all well in the Now Hebrides. We are perhaps to> be allowed to take the Transvaal without interference by the European Powers, but, aa &r as - New ZeaVand is. concerned, it Is rather '■ hard if this is to be purchased; by giving the Germans Samoa and. the the New Hebrides. "This latter" •group- is administered by what is 'known as the " Jmnfcl.d>namission" ; that is, a comvmsatbn : composed of French and- British" commanders of men of vvar. But,. (BtriVnge to say, the French seem 'to lord it all found over the natives and the British. Lately a; little complaint has been forwarded by to the authorities which tells an; extraordinary sloiy of French aggression and high-hanßedness. The grievances of the Uitlancterswere a trifle compared to the wrongs and injuries the natives and the missionaries in UVa New Hebrides have suffered. It remains to be .seeit -wbeuher Mr Joseph Chambelain and' his TrTenJ8 _ ~Wlir "■'. Ufjrplijry; -«*• Bwoh. alacrity and zeal in bridging the French to- reason- as they have done with the Boers in South Africa. Ati illustration of what' is going on may bVseen m the , island of Epi. 3*ind- in varyirig sized lots alon# the shore has been acqnired from time to time by the French New. Hebrides Company. These pieces of iajid, according to iheunanimoiis t&stimouy of the vendors, in all cases were strictly coast lands, aud did not extend far iulaud—not .more thin from 400 to 600 yards. Yet, marvellous to relate,.' the French company claim to have bought to a uniform depth inland of no less- than, three whole miles! A secret plan of the French property has-, been prepared, which no British subject is supposed to see, and the 'astonishment o£ the- 'Rev., Mr JTraser when he saw this grecions map for the- first time on board 4 the Bare, when the question was bei«g discussed by the' -Joist Commission,, may be' better imagined than described. He •sawjsorae land supposed to have been, sold by a native named ;BS*aftg; %toa. to the ITjenohi having a degth ef three' miles jaD(!l*it«o'-qittart<ers. -Nowt-Bawing alibis-life neveijpoasessed .mora than>«e mewst fmotion of native, called :^a«kf «had; experience; |Xhe <fcw<* give for feivo'or three miuutes-

that was what he sold. ~:;2?he;< deed jjrofessed to convey lands, running from the shore ayeri three .miles Barangv replied, " No; Isold from meran (the shbre) to a busmalin (fee it... the point." *' Did yea seli three miles inland? n said Mr Fraser. " No," was the reply, «• I only sold back ,to the rocks.'' Nojw, the rocks are in no place more than 300 or 400 yards back from the fbeach. All the land to a depth of three miles or so from the; shore is. claimed by the French company in this way on the west coast of Epi, extending from the Foreland to and including Lamena ;Poiut. Thisarea includes whole inland .villages which have never had any dealings with the French ,But this, claim is false, say the millenaries, eveaas regards the coast Jine, %|pr only last year ; Messrs Swallow and Trumble 41a rcliased from: : the flativesancl settled tin* ar piece of land claimed by the French company, and, though loudly threatened by the French *gent* were in no way interrupted or interfered with by the French man of war when if called. An interesting fact, by ■the way, about the land supposed to be sold to the company by the '. native called Jack is that the said Jack'was,in point of fact, away in Queensland at the very time; when the original piece of laud was sold to the French company. Intense disappointment is-felt by the missionaries and the natives, as to the working of £he Joint Gomrnission. They say, " The Joint Commissioa has: met at "E-pi and Tila, and, to the consternation of all unprejudiced persons, has confirmed two of the most glaringly unjust French -etaiias," too, amongst other things.. »v«i*re<f- thu * tl *v so-called deed of conveyance with his mark to it was never read over or explained to- him. Wherever there has been any dispute about the title to land with the natives, the French have marched in with firearms and forcibly driven ofiT the unfortunate owners with violence. Ifor has there been an absence, on the. -part of the Fr-iiweh,; of absolute crime; At qne : of the meetings of the Joint UOmmission, after all' the nasiyts had withdrawn, another and remarkable docu : *irieitt"-W}»B- t -prddi?<jed.-.. This was an acknow'edguient on the part of the shore chiefs,, and, apparently r duly signed by them, that the descriptior* of the French company"'"s . land. as■'. -set forth in the aforesaid; chart, was correct. There were suspicious ■signs l on the face of the, document, and whea enquiry was made from the chiefs, whose crosses- stood- on the paper, they denied all knowledge of such a document. The document, say the missionaries, is plainly a forgery, and, that being so, does it riot throw a strong light on the character of the precious- chart ? The French beat, burnt out and harried the unfortunate natives who disputed the French title, and : these natives Were mostly Christians under the care of British missionaries. Now, what lias Mr Joseph Chamberlain, who was'so-frightfully pained by the grievances of the Uitlanders, to say to theße proceedings on the part ot oar friends "the French ? •Truly,, tuny seem to ,be avenging Fashoda very effectually ':■■ The Joint Commission has given no Uelpaud no redreßS. The natives, we me told, ware, consequently, disheartened beyond measure, as they had hitherto had implicit faith in British justice- The missionaries now ask that a competent authority be appointed by the Imperial Government; 'with power to investigate and decide Jupoh all- land c&ims in the New' Hebrides. The bad question is THjES question, and will deeide the future* of the groups Hitherto British residents have not been alarmed' at the immense land claims- put forward* by Jhe French, because {bey trusted in the justice of the, Joint Commission. But now that in two tes f cases the Joint Commission baa decided for the French in the face of the unanimous, native evidence to -the contrary,, affairs in the group -have reached a serious- crisis.. The French the -they, are quelling the> ;tionscheme with feverish activity. On.ce gnfcot tbas* j» l&ejael* laqd fclaijiiii'arejjnat, uuLtlp whole itjseems that4b> time bas-now fegerhe ignored ier dsregarded

the Home Government to at once interfere, and the very least they can dov provided it be done im- ' niediateljr, is to appoint an authority strong enongh to poi(. f down mjnstice and oppression* and to maintain order and enforce, justice wiitoout fear or favour.