[Note: this transcription was produced by an automatic OCR engine]

16 WITH NATIVES IN THE WESTERN PACIFIC

coolies ; the great expense this would entail would be
a just punishment for the short-sighted cruelty with
which the most valuable product of the islands—their
population—has been destroyed. Only by compelling
each native to work for a definite period could a
sufficient amount of labour be produced to-day; but
such a system, while extremely beneficial to the race
as a whole, stands but a poor chance of being
introduced.

The products of the islands are coprah, coffee,
corn, cocoa and, of late years, cotton. The chief
item, however, is coprah, for the islands seem specially
suited for the growing of cocoa-nut palms. Rubber
does not seem to thrive.

In spite of the great number of officials, the
Government does not make itself much felt outside
the larger settlements, at least on the French side.
There are not yet magistrates on each island, so that
the Government hears only so much about the crimes
committed on the islands as the planters care to tell,
and naturally they do not tell too much. The British
Government is represented by two inspectors, who
frequently visit all the British plantations and look
into labour conditions; the activity of the French
authorities is restricted to occasional visits from the
Resident.

Thus the natives have no means of complaining
about the whites, while they have to submit to any
punishment they may get on the accusation of a
colonist. This would be a very one-sided affair;
happily, the missionaries represent the interests of the