Official Visit To
p. 71 · Read in the full issue
Mare Island
TIHE French Army commander in New Caledonia, Colonel Labadie, accom panied by his wife, has been paying an official visit to Mare in the Loyalty Group where they were received and en tertained by the Resident and by grand chief Naisseline.
Naisseline always does the honours in the grand manner, and there were 1,500 natives present at the displays at his headquarters which was so badly blown about in last year’s cyclone.
Mare has always contributed a large percentage of its young men to France as soldiers and sailors. The island, under Naisseline, is splendidly run and contri butes a valuable supply of garden pro duce and oranges to the Noumea market.
Mare men and women are the best native workers in Noumea.
The island presents a picture of what a native territory can be when government is left in the hands of a chief proud of his ancestry and the abilities of his tribes.
Mare is one of the happiest places in the Pacific to-day. I saw a great deal of this beautiful island during wartime visits with Captain Simms of the Aus tralian schooner “Evaleeta,” then working for the US Army.
Naisseline’s lively and intelligent sister, known as The Dada, is a popular and de lightful personality with the qualities of a lady who would grace any royal court in the world.
On Mare, more blest than many isles because it is not the monopoly of any single Christian church, the people were first trained to trades and to sport by the old English missionaries who were on terms of great friendship with Naisseline’s father and grandfather.
To-day, one frequently sees the men playing cricket; and it is not unknown for the women to get up a game among
themselves.-