1,700 'Tonks’

Sensation Made of 1,700 'Tonks’

In New Hebrides

BY some strange chance a gentle man named Simmons, a re porter from the irresoonsible and sensational Chicago Tribune, lately got loose on Santo, in the New Hebrides, with the result that in July he fed to the world’s press, through the Tribune, an extra ordinary story of snarling Tonkin ese Communists creating a new and livelier Vietminh in the Condo minium.

He said that the 1,700 Tonkinese

on Santo are 90 per cent. Com munist: that they hate the Euro peans; that they drank champagne, flew Red flags and otherwise cele brated when the P’rench in Dien Bien Phu surrendered to the Reds; that their joyful activities were not suppressed until the British and French officials threatened to shoot them down; and that they maintain caches of arms for use some day against the Europeans.

Various Australian newspapers which consistently refuse to publish facts about the Anglo-French Con dominium and its queer set-up, pre sented the Tribune rubbish under big headlines. They gave prominence to a statement made in Darwin by M. Brochet, described as “a New Caledonian mine-owner,” that there

now are 5,000 Indo-Chinese in Hebrides, and 4,000 in New C donia, against 20,000 French!

“which means that there is air one Communist to every Frenchmen.”

There is a small sub-stratun truth in these reports, but morsel is exaggerated until it comes ridiculous nonsense.

When World War II prevei the repatriation of the Indo-Chi brought in under labour conti about 1,000 Tonkinese bee stranded in the Condominium; through the administrative bung so typical of the Condomini they were not sent back to Toi immediately the war was over, the beginning of 1949 they n bered 1,287; and now there n be 1,600 or 1,700 of them, me living in Santo as traders, bar! taxi-drivers and general labou —an undesirable Asiatic commu permanently planted within a hundred miles of the Austra coastline.

Similarly, there are several h dred Asiatics —mostly Tonkii and Javanese (although most of Javanese were called home by Indonesian “Republic” in rec years)—in New Caledonia, wt they have also become an est lished Asiatic community.

Although all these Asiatics v brought into New Caledonia ; New Hebrides as plantation ; mine labourers, their perman settlement has not assisted labour problem at all. As is alw the case, as soon as they v freed from their labour contra they mostly entered “parasitic occupations, and declined regi labour engagements.

Potentially, because of tl breeding habits, they are a polit danger. But, at present, owing their small numbers and lack spirit, they are only an irritat to the Europeans, who realise tl uselessness. They are more o; menace to the Melanesians (30, in New Caledonia and 45,000 New Hebrides) than to any ot class, because they are ready at times to supply liquor to the nati —if they can get past the offii guard. fl Mr. C. W. T. Johnson was to turn to Fiji early August as Ai de-Camp to the Governor, Ronald Garvey. He previously 1: more than 30 years’ service w, the Fiji Government, and y Assistant Colonial Secretary bef: going to Tonga as British Agent £ Consul in 1943. After living a time in the UK, he was appoim Government Secretary in St. Hele in 1952. The present Aide-de-Ca:. in Fiji, Asst. Supt. D. T. Saint, v return to duty with the Fiji pol when relieved by Mr. Johnson