New Pamphlets.

IN view of the importance of the recent White Book on Portuguese slavery, the Committee decided that a special pamphlet should be published upon this question. This pamphlet is now ready. The Committee's appeal to Mr. Harcourt in connection with the Report of the Labour Commission in East Africa has also been printed as a pamphlet. Both of these can be supplied gratis to members and friends of the Society.

"Dawn in Darkest Africa.'

OWING to the large demand by members of the Society for copies of Dawn in Darkest Africa at 5s. per copy, the stock held by the Committee is now exhausted, but every copy purchased from the offices of the Society at 6s. is an advantage to its funds.

The New Hebrides Problem.

A PRIVATE Conference was called by the Anti-Slavery Society, on March 31, to consider the situation in the New Hebrides. The meeting took place in the Whitehall Rooms, and was well attended. Amongst those present were representatives of the Melanesian Mission and the John Paton Mission Fund, both of which have missionaries on the islands, and of the "Committee on Missions and Governments" connected with the Edinburgh Conference. The President of the Society presided, and those present included the Dean of Durham, Admirals Sir George King-Hall, Sir E. Fremantle, and Sir Wilmot Fawkes, Rev. A. E. Corner of the Melanesian Mission, Sir W. Mackworth Young, Sir George Toulmin, M.P., Rt. Fon. J. W. Wilson, M.P., Mr. Douglas Hall, M.P., and other Members of Parliament.

The Chairman, Sir T. FOWELL BUXTON, gave a cordial welcome to those who had responded to the invitation of the Anti-Slavery and Aborigines Protection Society to talk over the condition of affairs in the New Hebrides. This question was, he said, not a new one, but had been occupying the attention of the Society for some time.

He was glad to know that many present at the meeting were intimately connected with the islands, and was especially glad to see Admiral Sir George King-Hall, who had only recently returned from his command of the Australian Squadron.

He would call upon Mr. Buxton, the Secretary, to say what the Society had done in the past in connection with the affairs of those unhappy islands. Mr. Buxton had lately been to Paris to meet certain gentlemen interested in the question from a humane point of view. He was glad to know there. were sympathizers in France, for the Society always endeavoured, if possible, to bring pressure to bear upon foreign governments by their own nationals rather than by ourselves.

Next he would call upon Mr. Harris, the Organizing Secretary, to deal with the solutions which have been suggested.

Mr. TRAVERS BUXTON spoke of the way in which the New Hebrides question had come before the Society nearly four years ago. One of the earliest reports which they received from the islands complaining of the conditions came from the Rev. Stanley Howard, who was then a missionary in the islands, and afterwards became hon. secretary of the Australian Association for the Protection of Native Races in Sydney. He was glad to see Mr. Howard present. The Society brought the reports to the notice. of the Government, and also of correspondents in France, who replied that the Government of the Republic was dealing satisfactorily with the situation, and that the statements of the missionaries were exaggerated. Neither of these assurances were in accordance with fact. In 1911 the Society got into touch with the missionaries of the John Paton Mission in the islands, and when Dr. Bowie, of Ambrym, and his brother, the Rev. F. G. Bowie, came to England in 1911, a private deputation to Mr. Harcourt was organized (in which the Melanesian Mission took part), when the missionaries made a clear statement on the position to Mr. Harcourt. Since that time the Society had been in frequent communication with the Colonial Office, both by letter and by interview, and many questions had been put in Parliament. Mr. Edward Jacomb, of Vila, with whom the Society began to communicate more than two years ago, was, with the missionaries, the chief bulwark of the natives against cruelty and injustice; hence his extreme unpopularity with the French exploiters of the natives. It was at his suggestion that a Return of the cases tried before the Joint Court for eighteen months in 1911-12 was asked for in Parliament. This Return-which was never published-showed that of those accused before the Joint Court seventy-eight were French subjects, against twelve British, but the Return did not show whether the fines inflicted were collected or the sentences carried out. The Society had brought the question before the friends of native races in France, and action had been taken by the Committee for the Defence of Native Races with their Government. Some trenchant articles had been published in a French Colonial journal, La France d'Outre Mer, pointing out that the treatment of the natives was nothing but slavery. Mr. Buxton stated that a few months ago the Colonial Office had informed them that the Society must address itself to the Foreign Office; as a result the memorandum of February last had been addressed to Sir Edward Grey. He then referred to a visit which he had paid to Paris in the previous week, in order to meet a number of French publicists, and others who were interested in the question and exchange views. Mrs. Harris, who had taken some trouble to arrange this informal meeting, was also present. After a long conversation they had agreed that a joint request should be made to the English and French Governments to call a Conference

on the New Hebrides question, and that the Conference should recognize the necessity of a thorough investigation into the condition of the natives on the spot in the hope of reaching a favourable solution of the present impasse.

Rev. J. H. HARRIS said :-There is one feature upon which all parties are agreed; that is, the prevalence of the abuses and the failure of the 1906 Convention to secure peace and good government in the Archipelago. But no solution has yet been offered which meets with the approval of all parties. The official solution is that of proposing amendments to the Convention. This proposal, however, overlooks the following facts: (a) That there are powerful elements determined to prevent a satisfactory working of the Condominium; (b) That the Condominium has been tried for seven years and has so utterly failed that conditions to-day are probably worse than at any period during the last fifteen years; (c) That failure is not due to any lack of Treaty stipulations, but to deficiency in administration.

The solution favoured by Australian and New Zealand opinion appears to be British administration of the entire group of islands, and that France should be compensated by surrendering a British Colony to the French in some other part of the world. Dr. George Brown, for example, is of the opinion. that a partition of the Archipelago would not be acceptable to opinion in the Antipodes. The French solution may be called a bargain solution, or "what are you prepared to give in return?" The only suggestions made in this direction are so absurd that British public opinion could never entertain them for one moment. For example, the Gambia has been suggested as compensation for a surrender of a trivial part of the Archipelago; whilst even for a partition of the islands, in which France would retain all those with any measure of economic development, Great Britain is asked by one writer to make the most generous sacrifices in return for a group of islands of no economic value or strategic importance.

Those of us who have given close attention to this subject feel there are paramount reasons for ruling the Gambia Colony out of the question altogether. Indeed, we are strongly of the opinion that the solution of this question must be found within its own circumference; secondly, that it should be one acceptable not only to Australia but, as far as possible, to native opinion.

The solution which seems to us to promise the largest measure of acceptance is as follows: (a) That the Convention of 1906 be, if possible, strengthened in its stipulations; (b) That the obligations of the Convention should be applied to the entire group; (c) That for administrative purposes certain islands should come under French and others under British control.

As a preliminary step to any solution, we propose endeavouring to secure a joint commission of inquiry into conditions on the spot, with terms of

reference, including the following, to inquire into the existence of abuses and in what respects the Condominium administration has failed.

Our request is that you will give us to-day your advice upon each of these solutions, which, if any, we should press, and whether you agree with us in urging as a preliminary step, a joint commission of inquiry. Finally, whether you agree with our Committee in thinking that the time has arrived to ask Sir Edward Grey if he will receive a deputation representative of the interests gathered here to-day.

The Rev. STANLEY HOWARD read a message which he had been asked to deliver from the Bishop of Durham expressing satisfaction that the Conference had been called.

Admiral Sir GEORGE KING-HALL said that as the meeting was a private one, he should speak plainly, but it must not be forgotten that a number of documents had come into his possession when he was Commander-inChief, and he also mentioned that he was still in communication with the Admiralty on the subject, consequently on some points his lips were sealed.

He described the Condominium as a complete failure, and the working. of it a disgrace to both the French and British nations. He could not understand a Government like ours permitting it for one moment. He urged that strong men to represent the British Government should be sent out. Having been to the New Hebrides and seen what was going on, he did not think a single word had been over-stated in the reports of the missionaries.

The Joint Court of the Condominium has practically no authority at all to enforce its decisions; this Court should be given executive power to enforce the penalties and the decisions passed by it.

The Joint Naval Commission, which was never intended to do the duty that has been done by it during the last year, should be abolished. Admiral King-Hall referred to the arrest by the French war-ship Kersaint of a number of natives, who were imprisoned for eight months without trial. In December last the natives were tried, but were not allowed to bring forward any witnesses, although the British officers of the Naval Commission were most anxious that this evidence should be given, but were unable to carry out their wishes. Altogether a most scandalous state of affairs existed.

He urged that the best policy was to enlist the sympathy of public opinion in France on the matter; one of the strongest letters about the New Hebrides had been written by a Frenchman.

As to the different solutions, he thought there were many difficulties in the way of all proposals, but the Condominium Court should have executive authority to enforce its decrees.

He endorsed every word stated by the missionaries about the liquor traffic, and mentioned the case of a Frenchman who was tried for murder and walked out of Court a free man under the First Offenders' Act.

Admiral Sir George King-Hall wished it to be quite clear that in regard to the Joint Naval Commission there was not the slightest reflection to be made on any of the British Naval officers.

Dr. CAMPBELL NICHOLSON, who had recently returned from the islands, said he had lived in the New Hebrides when it was no white man's country, and he would much prefer to go back to that time when there was no government and no protection whatever. It would be better for the natives also, for then the natives took the law into their own hands. Now if outrages are committed on them, if their women or they themselves are kidnapped, what happens? The missionaries have to advise them to go to the Joint Court, where two or three processes of interpretation have to be gone through, from which the natives are unable to obtain any justice whatever. He had seen a native absolutely brow-beaten by Judge Colonna.

The Administration is top-heavy in every way. Although there are only about one thousand whites in the group, yet there is a Condominium Court composed of an English Judge, a French Judge, a Spanish President, a Spanish Public Prosecutor, a Dutch Registrar, a Dutch Native Advocate, and a cosmopolitan crowd besides. Then there is a French National Court, and a British National Court, also the Joint Naval Commission. Over and above this there are two private Courts where offences against illegal recruitment and non-repatriation of labourers are tried by each Resident Commissioner.

A high tribute was paid to Mr. Edward Jacomb, who threw up his post as Assistant Commissioner in order to defend the natives. Mr. Jacomb is hated by the French, who jeer at and "boo" him when passing through the streets of Vila.

Dr. Nicholson said he lived on an island on which the French have never succeeded in getting a foot-hold, although they had tried on several occasions, more especially last year, when a French man-of-war visited the island seven or eight times with the one object of trying to break down the missionary influence and cow the natives, in order that French settlers might be established there.

Mr. JOYNSON-HICKS, M.P., said that the main difficulty which we had to contend with was that of getting accurate information in the Government Departments. If reports have been sent to the Admiralty by Admiral King-Hall, he would ask the First Lord of the Admiralty to produce those reports. Likewise if Dr. Nicholson had had any correspondence with Mr. Harcourt, he would ask Mr. Harcourt for the production of that correspondence.

When they had this information, he thought the next step should be to organize the strongest possible deputation either to Sir Edward