Tahiti's "Etat de Siege"

By J. Holley

Tahiti, July 10.

mHE unrest and general dissatisfaction X so prevalent in the world to-day, were demonstrated here recently.

When the SS “Ville d’Amiens” arrived, bringing a small number of “fonction aires” from Prance to occupy administra tive and executive positions in the Colony, the returned soldiers (Tahitians) forcibly prevented them from landing. The police and soldiery seemed sympathetic, for they too are Tahitians.

The returned men claimed that these French officials were sent to Tahiti with no experience of Islands conditions or of the Polynesian people, to occupy posi tions which Tahitians themselves should occupy. Moreover the Frenchmen were always paid a far larger salary than the Tahitians.

The Administration, of course, had its side; and in the little Administration daily paper, “Bulletin de Presse,” was a full page explanation of the position headed “Appel a la population.”

However the first round went to the Tahitians as the “fonctionaires” did not land on arrival. But instead of the “Ville d’Amiens” steaming off on its way with the unwanted “fonctionaires” she lay out in the harbour in a tantalising fashion day after day, and everyone wondered what would happen next.

Rumours were rife, and the coconut wireless worked overtime. Some said the Governor had sent to France for a war ship; others that the “fonctionaires” were being landed secretly, at night, and so on.

Suddenly, after four days of speculation the Government Early in the morning of June 28, the block of build ings which includes the Stuart Hotel was

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marines, with rifles and tommy-guns. At the corners were military trucks, bearing machine guns and crews. The Marines are practically all French, and are by far the mos £ important and efficient “force” in the Colony. The soldiers are all conscript Tahitians, k A s - mall b i? at le £ “™ e d .’Aliens,” £mgmg ashore the “fonctionaires” and their wives. They were escorted by armed Marm£S t° the hotel - No shots were fired, and there were no unpleasant incidents, although rumour had it that the returned Tah itian soldiers and y ’ .

The Ville d Amiens left immediately, An amusing sidelight, typical of native nonchalance, is that a police guard was left at the hotel and while he was loungmg at the entrance in the evening one of the “fonctionaires” calmly walked out ofthe hotel and disappeared dorm the hto th° P stehs and Xn he did not come back went down and said to the policeman; “Hey! M. Blank has just gone QUt of the hotel why did you J let hi m leave?” native policeman replied “How A* 1 ® ?hat tJhen was ! that ™ere are so many other guests at the hotel. Well if he s gone, there sno need for me to stay here now. And he went * Less than a week after the successful landing of the “fonctionaires” there was another notice in the “Press ” proclaimmg an “Etat de siege”—which is the equivalent of martial law.

The notice stated that a plot against the safety of the Administration had been discovered and that twelve arrests had been made. The notice also said that anyone disturbing the peace in any way

would be immediately arrested and a crowd would, if necessary, be dispersed by force of arms.

Civil law will be resumed only when the authorities are quite certain that public peace and tranquillity is assured.