Problem Started

Tahiti's Chinese Problem Started In Civil War

The American Civil War, which started in 1861, was the primary cause of French Polynesia’s current Chinese problem. The war cut off supplies of raw cotton from the southern United States to the great milling industry of Lancashire, and this, in turn, stimulated the growing of cotton in other parts of the world.

IN 1864, a large plantation was started in Tahiti. But its founder, an Irishman called William Stewart, soon found that the Tahitians would not work for him.

So he induced the French Governor to allow him to import 1,000 Chinese coolies.

The Chinese were brought in from Hong Kong in three contingents: 329 arrived on February 28, 1865; 342 on December 8, 1865; and 339 on January 6, 1866.

The Chinese were indentured for seven years, and had the option of

jmaining in Tahiti at the end of leir contracts.

Most of them, whether they anted to or not, did remain in ahiti at the end of their contracts, ir just when their contracts expired, /illiam Stewart died and his planta on went bankrupt.

After Stewart’s death, the Chinese iok up market gardening. Later, lany of them moved to Papeete and ther islands and set themselves up s traders.

Their numbers were swelled by the nmigration of compatriots from 'alifornia in the 1890’s, and more cached Tahiti in 1910 and 1911 /hen unrest in China sent waves f immigrants all over the world.

By the mid-1920’5, immigration nd natural increase had swelled the umber of those in French Polynesia d 4,000. Immigration was restricted a 1929 and later ceased; but natural ncrease has now brought the popula ion figure up to more than 8,000.

For many years, the Chinese kept argely to themselves, working night nd day, retaining their own eligion and running their own chools.

But in recent years, there has been i tendency among them to adopt the asier-going Tahitian approach to ife, to abandon their religion, and o send their children to French mainly Roman Catholic) schools.

Apart from those who have be :ome naturalised French citizens, the Chinese, in recent years, have been ooked on as citizens of Nationalist Hhina. When travelling abroad, they lave used passports of Nationalist 2hina issued by that nation’s consul general in Papeete. However, the Nationalist Chinese Government’s lecision on February 12 to break 3ff diplomatic relations with France lias complicated an already compli cated issue.

William Stewart.