In Trouble

Tahiti's Chinese Traders

Papeete, July 16.

OUR economic lords and masters, the Chinese, after dancing merrily along a seemingly endless primrose path, have abruptly fallen into a sort of ele phant trap.

Contemptuous of all law, many of the Chinese have been operating a black market which combined the twin advan tages of illegal prices and short weights.

At the present writing, 17 Chinese patents-for-carrying-on-commerce have been cancelled by our authorities, and 30 more Chinese traders have been sum moned to Court on charges of black market practices.

The High Commissioner for the Western Pacific (Sir Alexander Grantham) and Lady Grantham, left Suva in Sep tember on an official visit to the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony. They expected to be away from Suva for a week.