[Note: this transcription was produced by an automatic OCR ENGINE]
INTRODUCTION I 7-
natives, and the power of the Government does not
reach far inland. There the natives are quite
independent, so that only a few hours away from the
coast cannibalism still flourishes. Formerly, expedi—
tions from the men-of-war frightened the natives;
to-day they know that resistance is easy. It is,
therefore, not the merit of the Government or the
planters if the islands are fairly pacified, but only of
the missions, which work mostly through native
teachers. Still, the missions have had one bad
effect: they have undermined the old native authori-
ties and thus created general anarchy to complete the
destruction begun by European civilization.
In the Santa Cruz Islands there is only one planta-
tion, worked by boys from the Solomon Islands, as
the Santa Cruz natives are not yet used to regular
work. But to-day they frequently recruit for the
plantations on the Solomons, and there come into
contact with civilization. There the labour conditions
are strictly watched by the British Government; still,
boys returning from there have sometimes imported
diseases, generally tuberculosis, which have reduced
the population by half.
COMMERCE
Communications with Sydney, the commercial
centre of the Western Pacific, are established by
means of a French and an English line of steamers.
A few small steamers and schooners ply at irregular
intervals between N ouméa and the New Hebrides.
