Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1896-12-29
The GILBERT ISLANDS
CIVILIZATIONS ADVANCING AMI
TRADE IMPROVING.
Natives are Protected Under the Bri-
fish Flag bristianIty Kindred
by sectarian squabbIes.


group once made part of the
plantation labor supply of the
Hawaiian Islands. They got civil
lied here to the extent of giving
clothes an attachment for them
while they stayed but which was
lost as soon as they got out the
channel in the vessel that took
them away-and of knowing the
great value of guns for righting
public and private wrongs. Be.
sides all that, the Gilbert Island.
ers received the sacred scriptures
In their own tongue from mis-.
sionaries of Honolulu. Therefore,
the following statement of the
present conditions existent on
that group will have considerable
local interest. 1t is from all in
terview had by the Australian
Star with w. Teller Campbell, the
British resident at the Gilberts,
while he was on a visit to Sydney
the latter part of November. The
intimation that frost is not an un-
known quality in the Gilbertian
climate is a shocking surprise, as
the group is close enough to the
equator to make the verdict, "Hs
needed killin'," a proper one in
respect to anyone whose Staying
might have been the sequel of his
asking, "Is this hot enough for
you ?"
Mr.. Campbell stated that at
the present time although things
are somewhat quiet in the
group there is a steady i'm
provement in many respects. Mr..
Campbell states that he arrived in
Sydney on October 81 last, the
object of his trip being to confer
with the High Commissioner of
FIJI on the protectorates in gener-
al. His own headquarters are at
Tarawa. Things are improving
in the islands from a commercial
point OF view on account of such
favorable season following the
frost and severe droughts of recent
years. A couple of murders have
recently taken place in the group,
and one man, who is at present
under sentence of death, is to be
executed shortly. Mr.. Campbell
states that he would like it to be
generally understood that since
the two groups have been formed
under British protectorates the
people find that they cannot do as
they like there. They did not like
this at all, but they know that il
they do not conform to the regula-
tons they will not be allowed to
remain there.
1t was not the wish of the Gov
eminent to prevent the people
settling down there, but as the
British flag had been hoisted for
the protection of the natives, the
natives would be protected. In
former years, said Mr.. Campbell,
the treatment the natives received
in some places in the group was a
disgrace to humanity. Traders
used to call there with gin, which
they traded off on the natives for
cocoanut oil, with the result that
the natives became intoxicated,
and'remained so for weeks. The
chief export at the present time
was copra. Lands were now be.
ing gradually reclaimed by the
native population, and they were
cultivating Papoi-a kind of |
coarse Tara--and Pandanus, but |
the latter did not require much |
The white popula-
ton numbered at present about |
300, and consisted principally of
traders who came and went Just
rs It suited them.
With regard to the missionary
work in the group, Mr.. Campbell |
snid what was required in the two
groups was more Christianity and |
less quarreling over questions of |
doctrine, The different sects there
luarreIed amongst themselves,
and between them all the poor
native did not know exactly where
he was.
No regular statistics had been
compiled with regard to the ISL
ands, and it was difficult at pre-
sent to tell what trade was done.
The principal trade was at present
lone with Sydney, and two Sgd
?ey firms had the lead there.
There was every prospect Of
hings going on quistly, and of a
,tan1U imprpvpmaut bain,, mazda