Luxuries”

“Vila Gets The

French In Santo Demand Better Conditions

WE have received, from a French planter in the New Hebrides, some outspoken com ment concerning the manner in which the public revenue there is wasted on “amenities” for Port Vila residents, while the unfortunate dwellers in the outports get nothing. The following is a translation of his letter.

The French in the New Hebrides have a Com mission Consultative, elected by and from among their colonists, to advise their Resident Com missioner on budgetary expenditure. This is called, hereunder, the Advisory Council. On the British side, no such thing exists.

We have heard much of the grievances of British settlers in the Condominium. It is in teresting to get the French side.

THE New Hebrides Advisory Council was called into session at Vila in such a manner that the members representing the outlying islands of the Group were not able to attend. This was a very convenient way to muzzle the free expression of opinion and advice that they might have been able to give on the budget. The outlying islands provide three-fourths of that budget, but nine tenths of it is spent in Vila, to ensure the greater comfort of the Government Officials, business men and their em ployees.

We of the outer islands are not averse to Messieurs the Government Officials having water laid on to their homes, electric light, good roads, an efficient telephone service, secular schools, luxur ious hospitals and hospitals in prisons for undesirables, etc.

But we who pay for all these luxurious appointments, we who have nothing—not even a yard of road over which to trans port our produce and supplies, or carry our sick —we feel it intolerable that the taxes imposed upon us should be em ployed to maintain roads that we con sider luxurious —such as that road to Erakor, whose sole use is to permit the Government officials and merchants of Vila to spend their week-ends on the beach!

We demand, and insist, that part of the receipts shall be employed in our districts, and for us, and we shall make an outcry so loud and so far-reaching that we must be heard. Preparations to this end are being made.

For the past ten years nothing has been done at Santo, the largest and, with out doubt, the richest island in the Group—not a metre of road, not a navi gation light—absolutely nothing.

It needed an accident before we could obtain two doctors for a population twice as large as that of Vila, where there are four (2 French, 1 English and 1 Anna mite), It is true, of course, that at Vila, the administrative capital, if they have not quantity of population, they have quality!

General discontent had to blaze into flame before consideration was given to making Santo an open port; for the nomination of an official to act as post man, Customs Officer and telegraphist at the Canal de Segond; and for the con struction of ferries at the Sarakata and Rene Rivers.

The 5 per cent, penalty (imposed on persons whose Customs duties are in

arrears, by an administration callously indifferent to the difficulties of Islands settlers) must be taken off; and there will then be no further need of a Customs agent at the Canal. The settlers will per haps be able to go by car over good roads to the hospital, the post office, the Resi dency and the stores. They will in the end have an adequate medical service long overdue. They will receive their rice and indentured labour from Tonkin dir ectly at the Canal, instead of the latter being first sent to Vila for a quarantine ridiculously inefficacious and costly.

When these improvements and projects come into being, we must first of all thank their initiator our Santo District Agent, Monsieur Laine, a New Caledonian, who during three years fighting has suc ceeded —the first and only one of our District Agents to do so—to do some

thing that will be of use to us. We must also thank M. Casimir, Delegate (pro tem) of the High Commissioner, who has given us a new proof of his Intelligence by his just appreciation of the high merit of his subordinate, M. Laine, in keeping him with us for three years. We regret that M. Laine is leaving on furlough.

We wish him' an excellent voyage and a speedy return to our midst, with just re compense for his courageous activities and clear intelligence.

Miss Helen Stuckey was married to Mr. Stuart Lade, 8.A., Dip. Ed., at Ela Protestant Church, Port Moresby, in March. Mr. Lade has charge of the L.M.S. educational activities at Pore porena, Hanuabada.

Would the person (apparently a resident of Fiji) who sent a number of manu scripts to the editor of the “Pacific Is lands Monthly”, with the nom de plume of “Dantaianoa” please forward name and address?