No Change

N. Hebrides Wants

Many Asiatics and Growing Prosperity

From a Special Correspondent

Vila, May 30.

There has been a remarkable growth of the Chinese community in New Hebrides in recent times.

These are not labourers, as was stated erroneously in the PIM a few months ago—these are traders, mostly, and very successful traders, too.

Within the past year, many Can tonese have opened trading stores in Santo. There are numerous small businesses in the Canal area of Santo, and I estimate the total Chinese community there at be tween 70 and 80.

Opposite or close by the Santo Club there are five fairly large Chinese stores, and there is prob ably about £lO,OOO worth of goods in each store. It is reported that a member of the staff of one of the large European concerns in Vila is part owner of one of these stores.

All the Chinese stores in the Canal area are built on land owned by the “French Company.” Previously, cer tain Europeans tried to get a lease of this land, but few succeeded.

There is also a strong appearance in the trading field in NH by the Tonkinese, who have been granted French status, and allowed to en gage in trading stores, tailoring, barber shops, bakeries, etc.

The Cantonese and the Tonkinese do not mix socially or in business— they have no dealings with each other.

The Cantonese now have a strong hold in Vila, and take a lot of busi ness from the large stores, such as Bums Philp and the CFNH. They are shrewd traders. Beer is always supplied free, as required—the usual Chinese custom. Some British do most of their buying at the Chinese stores —even officials. The name of the Chinese meeting place—Kuo Min Tang—has been slightly altered, by the addition of another Chinese word.

Their political views are not made plain. In typical fashion, they pre fer to “wait and see.” Alarmists easily could make a scare out of the fact that so many Chinese are appearing here, and that China now is so arrogantly Red. But these people disclose no Red affiliations, or any interest in Chinese home affairs. That means nothing, of course. If Red China became pow erful in the world, these people doubtless would be smilingly Red.

There is much talk of our future.

Most people here ardently hope that New Hebrides will become neither French, British nor Australian. We

are quite happy to remain as we are, a Condominium, and the freest country in the Pacific. We have no income tax, a copra export tax of only 41 per cent, (not like 10 per cent, in the Solomons) and a mini mum of Government interference.

Everyone, natives included, earns high wages; and if we are only left alone this country could be happy and very prosperous, under a system where private enterprise receives every encouragement and the func tion of government is to justly ad minister a minimum of laws.

Mr. Gordon F. Russell, formerly of the Meteorological Service, Fiji, and recently of the New Zealand hydrographic branch of the Depart ment of Scientific and Industrial

Research, has been appointed Meteorologist - in - Charge, Cook Islands. He will be stationed at Rarotonga.