Revieie of Reviews, 2/tijO'J. 



INTERVIEWS ON TOPICS OF THE MONTH. 



AUSTRALASIAN INTERVIEWS. 



LXXX.-THE NEW HEBRIDES AND THE JOINT COMMISSION. 



Burlington'] irhoto. 



Rev. Dr. Macdonald. 



Xo man is more 

 competent to deal 

 with the New Heb- 

 rides situation than 

 Dr. Macdonald, the 

 \eteran missionary, 

 who has spent the 

 best years of his 

 life in the Islands. 

 I was consequently 

 eager to find what 

 his opinion would 

 be, and delighted 

 til find that my own 

 impressions as an 

 outsider were iden- 

 tical with those of 

 so eminent an au- 

 thority. 



■■ You have no- 

 ticed,'' said I, •■ that 

 a joint commission 

 has been sitting in 

 London consider- 

 ing the whole ques- 

 tion of the administration of the Xew Hebrides. 

 Personally, I feel inclined to advocate a dual control 

 instead of a divided territory, ^'ou are the man on 

 the spot. What is your opinion ?" 



'" Yes, like everyone else, I have seen what has 

 appeared in the papers as to a joint commission in 

 London having agreed to recommend a new ar- 

 rangement for the administration of the New 

 Hebrides. But, as the terms of the agreement have 

 not as yet been made public, at present one can 

 say but little on the subject. It seems, however, 

 that the labours of the joint commission look in 

 the direction of a dual-control rather than in that 

 of a partition of the islands. This latter is of course 

 possible, and some might prefer it, but there would 

 be great difficultv in agreeing upon the dividing 

 line, to mention nothing else. I think with you 

 that a joint administration is worthy of a 

 trial. France, it is understood, is willing to try 

 it if we are. With the friendlv feeling that exists on 

 both sides the thing should be perfectly practicable. 

 Hitherto the joint Naval Commission dealing onl\ 

 with certain matters has worked harmoniously, and 

 this would merelv be an extension of the same 

 principle into a joint commission dealing in addition 

 with all matters of Land, Labour, and Trade." 



•■ Supposing that dual control is established. I 

 suppose that it will necessarily mean that one set 

 of laws will be framed and the responsibility of ad- 

 ministering them will be divided equally between 

 the two nations?'' 



■ Certainly," said the Doctor, '• and I am glad you 

 mention this, because it is of great importance that 

 it be clearly understood. By a dual control in the 

 New Hebrides we mean a joint commission adminis- 

 tering there one set of laws framed as the recent 

 joint commission in London framed its agreement. 

 In that agreement, indeed, there would probablv be 

 found the basis of the necessary set of laws. There 

 must, of course, be two sets of administrative offi- 

 cers, but equally, of course, only one set of laws 

 which all in the group, Eurof)eans of all nationali- 

 ties and natives, must equally obey, and to which 

 all must equally look for protection and justice. 

 As to the two sets of administrative oflficers, we have 

 already to begin with the British and French officers 

 of the joint naval commission, and the British and 

 French residents. There can then be no great 

 difficulty as to this. And as to the other thing, 

 what great difficultv can there be in, for instance, 

 framing one set of laws regarding Land, Labour, and 

 Trade to which all must be equally subject, and by 

 which all must be equally benefited ? And what 

 possible reasonable objection can be alleged ?' 



■■ Supposing, then,'' I said, " that dual control in 

 the sense defined is established, will that really get 

 over the diffic-jltv of English people becoming 

 nationalised French, so as to get the advantages of 

 a free tariff to France, or selling out in despair of 

 success? Will it not be necessary- for the Com- 

 monwealth to gi.ve an earnest of its good intentions 

 to the New Hebrides bv remitting duties as far as 

 the Commonwealth is concerned ?" 



■' It would not get over this very grave difficulty,' 

 said the Doctor with emphasis. " The French 

 authorities have wisely recognised that their people 

 in a new place like the New Hebrides have much to 

 contend with, and need help. If our Commonwealth 

 authorities should not act on the same excellent 

 principle, th -n will once more be proved true the old 

 saving that ' they do these things better in France.' 

 The remitting of these duties would practically be 

 no appreciable pecuniary loss to the Commonwealth, 

 and would, as vou say, give an earnest of our good 

 intentions to the New Hebrides. .-Vs it is in the 

 initial stages of settlement that our countrimen in 

 the islands need the encouragement and help that 



