12 Men Under Arrest

Quayside Incident in Tahiti

A S a result of the disorder which oc- A curred in Papeete on the arrival of the Ville d’Amiens, on June 22. the Governor of Tahiti arrested 12 men, and they were still under detention at the end of July. The French Administra tion took a grave view of the incident It will be remembered that the liner brought from France three high officials for service under the Governor of Tahiti Young French-Tahitians, mostly returned soldiers, took the view that all such posts could be capably filled from the local population They assmbled in force, took charge of the ship’s gangway, and would not Id. the officials land.

All The elements of a riot were present, but the Governor handled the situation with tact and firmness. The ship was sent to an anchorage for a few days while tempers cooled; then the three officials and their families were brought ashore soon after dawn one morning, and the ship sailed. Soon afterwards, the Gover nor proclaimed a state of emergency and arrested 12 men who were prominent in the disturbance.

The young Tahitians acted unwisely in thus defying established authority; but many hope that their case will be judged sympathetically. It is a fact that the constant coming and going of highly paid officials in these Pacific colonies does tend to create anger among the perman ent residents.