Governor Bouchet’S Many Reforms.

Far-sighted Administrator of French Oceania.

From Our Own Correspondent.

Papeete, May 18.

AMONG the notable men of the Pacific must be included Monsieur Louis Henri Bouchet, who has been Governor of the French Establishments in Oceania since his predecessor, Governor Jore, departed last year to take up the more important post as Chief of the Colony of New Caledonia and Commissioner of French Terri tories in the Western Pacific.

His Excellency Governor Bouchet was born in 1882, at Lyon, Rhone Province, France, and previous to his appointment at Tahiti, had gained much official experience in Morocco, Mada gascar, Cameroon, and Guiana, in which latter colony he was Secretary Gen eral. He was called upon to take up the reins of Government here at a singularly unpropitious moment—prob ably the most difficult period of the Colony’s history from a financial stand point—and has been obliged to grapple ever since with the heartbreaking problem of maintaining essential public services from a continually decreasing revenue.

In these islands the great bulk of the Government income is derived from

duties on imported goods, and the quan tity of these is naturally limited by the value of exportable products, mostly copra, which has never been worth less than it is now. No doubt Governor Bouchet has found his present position anything but a sinecure in these un paralleled times, and one that has made the utmost demands upon his fortitude and resources, as well as upon his ability to withstand hostile criticism from the unreasoning elements of the population who seem instinctively to blame the head of the Government for the failure of their various enterprises, when, in reality, there is no local remedy applicable to the existing conditions, During his term of office in Tahiti, Governor Bouchet has been instru mental in bringing into effect some far-reaching reforms in the land laws of the Colony, which ensure the pro tection of native interest against pre datory money-lenders' and Chinese traders who formerly found it only too easy to acquire lands, often by un scrupulous and shady methods. All land transfers must now come under Government scrutiny and receive ap proval before they can be validated. In

spite of antagonism from certain quar ters, these new laws are operating satisfactorily, and there is no doubt that, as time goes on and the system is more thoroughly understood, Governor Bouchet will be gratefully remembered by the native people as the instigator of this beneficial legislation.

Realising that tourist traffic may easily become Tahiti’s chief economic asset in the future, Governor Bouchet has given every encouragement and support to the local Tourist Associa tion in its endeavours to develop the Colony from that standpoint. Among other important contributions towards that end, a measure has been drafted, and will shortly be in operation, with the object of conserving the fresh water fishing facilities in Tahiti. There was a time, not so long ago, when all the streams in this part of Polynesia were literally alive with “Nato,” a fish re sembling the trout in appearance, habits, and sporting and edible quali ties, and therefore well worthy of preservation. Of late years our local sportsmen have had to deplore the steady depletion of the rivers owing to the taking of fish in a wholesale way by natives and other persons deficient in public spirit, and it is gratifying that something is about to be done to put an end to such an unsatisfactory state of affairs. From now on dyna mite and drawnets will be prohibited, and only the castnet and the rod per mitted as a means of taking fresh water fish. As the “Nato” increase rapidly if given a chance, and grow quickly, natives and anglers should soon be reaping the benefits of this con servation scheme in the shape of more and larger fish.

On the social side, Governor Bouchet has been a real acquisition to the Colony, and the hospitable public re ceptions given by Madame Bouchet are popular and well-attended functions eagerly looked forward to.

For his meritorious labours in the service of his country, Governor Bou chet was decorated some time ago with the Order of tbe Legion d’Honneur.

Mons. Louis Henri Bouchet, Governor of the French Establishments in Oceania.