Mixed Dkiinking

Where the Colour Line Must be Drown

From Our Own Correspondent

Rabaul, Dec. 15.

A CASE came before the District Court here yesterday, which serves as a straw indicating the direction of the social wind in this Territory, and should be taken as a warning to the authorities.

An educated native, Georgeous Anno-Kassi, was charged with threatening behaviour towards a European with intent to provoke a breach of the peace.

The evidence for the prosecution showed that the defendant, after striking a European twice, had challenged another European to fight in a public street. A crowd had collected and consisted of half-castes, natives and Europeans; and, as one European witness stated in his evi dence, “it looked like a small riot”.

The incident occurred at a crowded intersection in Rabaul, and outside one of the hotels, where many of the crowd had been drinking.

The population of Rabaul is a mixed one, comprising Chinese, Malays, half castes, many thousand natives from many different districts, as well as a thousand Europeans. As a rule, the various nationalities sort themselves out when it comes to a matter of drinking their beer, whisky-and-soda, or what you will.

In some of the licensed houses, however, there are special parts set aside for the convenience of Asiatics.

This arrangement is satisfactory, pro viding that the colours do not inter mix—that the whites stay in their portion, and the browns stay in theirs.

The coloured customers almost in variably adhere to this rule. Un fortunately, however, from time to time whites of a low type do not give the same regard to the arrangement.

Consequently, upon such a breach, trouble invariably arises, as the drink goes in and the night grows older.

Such incidents tend to affect the whole social structure of the Terri tory. By the acts of a few thought less whites, disrespect is created in the minds of the Asiatics towards those who do not respect the barriers, and this, in time, is liable to spread, and include the whole race. Such fraternising between colours and classes lowers the prestige of the whites, in the eyes of both Asiatics and natives, and prestige in a coun try like this matters very much.

Unless some sterner measures are taken to enforce separate drinking— especially in Rabaul. with its mixed population—there is going to be trouble in the not-too-distant future.

Mr. W. M. Cochrane, formerly a re sident of New Guinea, arrived in Sydney in December from Shanghai, where he spent the last two years. According to him, conditions in China do not now encourage Europeans to remain there.