Punishment.

Unruly Natives.

Need For Corporal Punishment.

WE continue to receive letters which suggest that all is not well in the relationship between the Solomons Islands Administration and the natives.

There seems to be, among non-official Europeans, a belief that natives are being treated according to principles that are entirely unsound.

A correspondent asks us to give pub licity to natives’ attitude towards white women. He says that, fairly recently, a native house-boy attacked the young wife of an official. There was a “frightful” struggle, and she beat him off; but he attacked her again, and again she beat him off. This young woman suffered severely from shock and, after hospital treatment, was sent to Australia.

In another case, a native “peeping Tom” was caught in the act.

The first boy was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment, and the second to six months. Our correspondent says that such punishment is simply ridiculous. “Calaboose” has no terror whatever for these primitive natives Flogging is the only possible punish ment that will serve as a deterrent;

but that "old-womanish and dangerous ignorance in high official quarters” has forbidden corporal chastisement.

We give the statement for what it is worth. But if there is any truth in this communication, it certainly appears as if the B.S.I. authorities are playing with fire. Nothing could be worse than the threat against white women.

It appears as if the problem in the Solomons is developing simultaneously with the same problem in New Guinea where a whole series of “incidents” is forcing the too squeamish Australian authorities to realise that there can be no satisfactory discipline maintained unless District Officers have the right to order corporal punishment.

Mr. S. H. Chance, an assistant Resi dent Magistrate in the service of the Papuan Administration, returned to the Territory by the September “Macdhui,” after six months’ furlough. While he was in Australia, Mr. Chance had the mis fortune to fall and severely fracture his left arm. He has made a good recovery, but he will spend the rest of his life with a considerable quantity of gold wire holding together the bones of his arm— the result of ingenious surgery. Mr.

Chance thought he would be stationed in the Samarai District, in the immediate future.