Australia And The New Hebrides.

The Story of a Forgotten Gift of Land.

(The following article, by R. W. Robson, editor of the “Pacific Islands Monthly’’, was published in the “Sydney Morning Herald” on December 16.) THOSE acquainted with the history of the New Hebrides must have been glad to see the admirable leading article in the “Sydney Morning Herald” of November 27 and to realise that at long last the Commonwealth Government may take some part in the future de velopment of this group.

Your article outlined the history of the Condominium: but did not state one of the important reasons why Australian influence should be extended in that ter ritory. It is a fact —though probably not a score of people here know it—that the Commonwealth Government of Australia is the largest -single landowner in the New Hebrides. The story is an interest ing one.

Over fifty years ago the late Sir James Burns, founder of Messrs. Burns, Philp and Co. Limited, with that vision

and initiative that won him his conspicu ous place in Australian history, saw that the New Hebrides would be lost entirely to Britain unless vigorous action were taken. He failed to induce the Govern ments concerned to do anything; so, with that energy characteristic of him, he personally interviewed a number of his friends, leading men in Sydney and Mel bourne, and among them they formed the original Australasian and New Hebrides Co. Limited.

This company commenced trading and planting in the New Hebrides. Its first manager was the late Mr. J. G. Laing, for many years a leading executive of Messrs. D. and W, Murray Limited. An other early manager was Mr. Joseph Mitchell, now a director of Messrs. Burns.

Philp and Co. Ltd. The new company did not flourish. It was reconstructed two or three times and finally was con trolled by Messrs. Burns, Philp and Co.

Ltd. and carried on for a few years.

Finally it was wound up and its assets taken over by Burns, Philp and Co.

By then, it was the owner of large areas of good land on practically all of the islands of the New Hebrides. Right from the commencement of its opera tions, this company set out to acquire good plantation land, which, fo!r the most part, it purchased from the native owners. It was stated subsequently that it was the need for finding so much cash for its purchases that caused the finan cial collapse of the company. The land was obtained in various ways, but the transactions were all open and above board, and the Co.’s titles to the various areas were as clean as was possible un der the conditions which ruled in those days.

When the Co. was wound up, Sir James Burns handed over the whole of the land interests acquired by the Aus tralasian and New Hebrides Co. Ltd. to the Commonwealth Government. The action was characteristic of the long vis ion of this notable man. He knew that eventually Australia, if only for defence reasons, must take an interest in the control of the New Hebrides; and he saw that if Australia were actually a land owner in the group, she would be all the more likely to act. It is probable, also, that he saw that if Australian settlers were encouraged to go to the New Heb rides, the trading and transport busi ness of his big firm would be assisted. At any rate, the fact is that the Common wealth Government accepted those large land interests.

The Condominium Government began to function in the New Hebrides on November 2, 1907, and for the last 25 years the Joint Court of this government has been slowly and painfully scrutin ising land claims and issuing titles. It is a colossal task, and only a very little part of it has been completed. For the last 25 years, a solicitor appointed and paid by the Commonwealth Government has lived in Vila, his duty being to pro secute the Commonwealth Government’s land claims before the Joint Court and also to protect the Commonwealth Gov ernment’s land interests on the various islands against all sorts and conditions of people, who have sought to take posses sion of the choicest areas. For about 20 years, Mr. F. E. Wallace was the solicitor, residing in Port Vila, who carried out this duty, but he retired recently and another solicitor now represents the

Commonwealth Government there.

Between 1905-1912 some scores of Aus tralian people, encouraged by the Com monwealth Government, went to the New Hebrides and settled there on the Aus tralian land; but gradually Australia seemed to lose interest in the project and in the settlers. The reason that has been given is that planters in the New Heb rides cannot carry on successfully unless they have the assistance of indentured Asiatic labour. The native labour is unsuitable and unreliable. The French, realists always, brought in large num bers of Tonkinese as indentured labour ers and the French planters, assisted and encouraged in many ways by the French Government, flourished and became soundly established. The unfortunate British-Australian settlers got no such help. There came into power in Austra lia a series of Labour Governments, to whom the very name of indentured la bour was anathema, and they rejected all plans for helping the planters in New Hebrides.

Then came the War; and after the War Australian interests and Australian planters in the New Hebrides were vir tually forgotten. Within the first ten years after 1918, Australia sent a com mission to the New Hebrides to enquire concerning the vexed question of inden tured Asiatic labour; but by the time it had submitted its report (which was de finitely in favour of Asiatic labour) there had been another change of government in Australia, and the report was pigeon holed and has not been heard of from that day to this.

It is a tragic story of political stupidity and muddle. Several times in the last few years—notably in January, 1932, and in October, 1934 —a few of us brought the foregoing facts before certain members of the Federal Parliament, and tried to get something done; but it was like hammer ing against a stone wall. It is indeed gratifying that, at last, the Common wealth Government is inclined to act even if the reason for action is the need for building up strong defences against a potential foe in the North Pacific. Ac tually, if Australians would only realise it, all the facilities exist (including the ownership of large areas of valuable land) for providing young Australian men with a field for active and profitable enter prise.

EDITORIAL NOTE.—Commenting up on this article, Mr. Graham Kerr (of Messrs. Kerr Bros., Sydney) challenged two statements that had been made. He said that the Commonwealth Government is not the largest landowner (or land claimant) in the group: that title goes to the Societe de, Nouvelles Hebrides.

He said also that Australia cannot be blamed for the fact that British planters have been left without adequate labour —that the situation was controlled by the High Commissioner for the Western Pacific, at Suva. The point that Mr.

Robson intended to make—although he left it obscure—was that, while Austra lia had no authority whatever in the Con dominium, Australian Labour influence was strongly and actively against Asiatic indentured labour—just as it is in West ern Samoa to-day.

A wireless telephonic set has been installed at the headquarters of the New Guinea Mission (Anglican) at Dogura,

Papua, making possible communication

with the A.W.A. station at Samarai and with the various other Government and mission outposts.

Mr. and Mrs. Fred Godson, of Sogeri Plantation, Papua, were recently in California, and called upon Mr. George C. Dromgold, the American scientist, who visited Papua a couple of years ago.

Mrs. Godson, formerly Miss Gladys English, will appear in the pages of Mr.

Dromgold’s new book.

Rt. Rev. L. S. Kempthorne, M.A., Bishop of Polynesia, will leave Suva, Fiji, early in February on a visit to Tonga and Samoa.