The New Hebrides-New

Caledonia labor trade

More than 10,000 Ni-Vanuatu, men, women and children went to New Caledonia between 1865 and 1918, according to Dorothy Shineberg, reader in history at the Australian Na tional University in Canberra.

The peak period was between 1865 and 1912.

Ms Shineberg told the Port- Vila Vanuatu Weekly that she had come to the country to arrange for her research on the “New Caledonia recruitment era” for a book which is soon to be published.

She said: “The story of peo ple from Vanuatu going to Queensland and Fiji to work in the last century is very well known, but not so many people seem to know much about the people who went to New Cale donia.”

Ms Shineberg has already completed her research in lib raries in France, and is going back to New Caledonia for further work there.

According to information re leased, those Ni-Vanuatu were employed by the French Gov ernment to work as prison guards over the convict crews on government boats, and em ployed by the private sector to work in coffee and sugar cane plantations. Women worked as domestic servants.

Most of the people were eventually repatriated, but many died in an epidemic in 1875.

This will be Ms Shineberg’s second book. Her first, They Came for Sandalwood, based on sandalwood trading by early traders in the southwest Pacific, was published in 1967.

Go-ahead for

Su.S.4Om

libel

suit

The Supreme Court of the United States in January cleared the way for the start of a libel suit brought by Nauru’s President Hammer Deßoburt

against the Gannett Company, a leading U.S. newspaper pub lisher.

The claim refers to two 1978 articles alleging that President Deßoburt made a secret loan to a separatist group in the neighboring Marshall Islands.

The Nauruan president has filed a SU.S.4O million claim alleging libel against The Pacific Daily News, published on Guam and owned by the Gan nett organisation.

‘Best little

marathon’

for Guam

How about timing a visit to Guam so you can take part in the Best Little Marathon in the Pacific”? The 14th Guam Seiko Marathon will be run on March 30, 1985.

As in past years, about 100 runners from Guam, neighbor ing islands, Japan and else where are expected to com pete. It is a well-organised race, renowned for its numerous and friendly aid stations.

The 26.2 mile point-to-point course gains in elevation gra dually, starting at 200 ft above sea level and topping off at Mile 14 at 620 ft elevation. It then slopes downward to the finish at one of Guam’s most popular beaches, Ypao Beach Park.

The entire course is run on asphalt roads, but stays away from the busy streets.

At the awards ceremony every finisher is recognised, and all receive at least a T-shirt, surely one of the rarer such badges of achievement.

The 1984 winners were Peter Witherell, who covered the course in 2hr 44 min 34 sec.

But if you wish to beat the course records you will have to shoot for Dave Collins’ 1981 mark of 2:32:57, or Betty Bop part’s women’s record of 3:10:33, set in 1978.

The entry fee is $lO. For more information and entry forms, write to race director Allen A.Pickens, P.0.80x P, Agana, Guam 96910, U.S.A.