Arizona republican., 1916-03-28
HILL TELLS IF
 |S[E OF TAHITI
Beautiful, Dreamy, Neglect ed South Sea Island, Home of 12,000 Who Are French But Want to Be Americans

After having been practically gut off from the world for the past three months, Walter Hill has returned to Phoenix, enthusiastic over his visit to the South Sea Islands. Only once in his absence did MT. Hill receive mail from the States. only one boat having landed at Papeete during his stay. It was not until the steamer on which he made the return trip was nearing San Francisco that Mr. Hill heard of the punitive expedition into Mexico.
 We not only received no American news, but no world news. There is a wireless station at Papeete and three times a week radios were eagerly read by the entire population, but the mes- sages were of the war and only re- ferred to France. The sympathy of the natives, however, is not with France When the islands were ceded to France tho treaty stipulated that the natives would not be asked to go to foreign war though it was agreed that they would defend the island should the need arise. ard when the French decided to take 15OO men it looked like trouble. It was only be- cause there were young men eager to see the world without cost that there was no serious opposition. These young chaps made the break and when I left, 300 were in training in New Caledonia, north of Australia. The call was made for men from IS to 34. Naturally business is com nlctely demoraliZed. It is even i'm possible tc get help to unload the steamers, and the war has put an end to shipbuilding, which was one of the successful industries
 'The saddest sight I ever witnessed was the day the boys sailed away for war. The steamer was scheduled to leave at o'clock in the morning, and | il was in the afternoon before it was | under way. All that time 5000 people stood at the dock with the thought l that they might never see those boys I again.
 According to MT. Hill the sympathy | of the natives is not with France, and t is their one wish that their country might come under the control of the United States, and if not the States, 1 then Great Britain. France has taken hut slight interest in Tahite. and no effort has been put forth by the | French government they allege, to ad- vance the country or it's people. They contrast their island with that just l south of them, governed by Great l Britain, and the comparison is in fa- vor of their neighbors. contends MT. l Hill. "The income of the islands is s100,000 month and by proper as- sistance and direction the country would easily afford $1,000.000 a ! month,' he declared.
 i T never expect to see such beauty outside of heaven. 1 believe that every flower ever catalogued blooms on the island. and the foliage is won- ! derfully beautiful. The fruits are as abundant as the flowers, and the na- Hives have a charming manner of stop- ping the wayfarer for cool, refresh 1 ing drink of the cocoanut, and again another will stop to give you a ban
 anna They absolutely refuse to be
 repaid said MT. Hill The popu- | lation of Tahiti I should estimate al 12.000. and of this number 900 are | French and 5000 Chinamen; the lat
 ter own and operate all the shops
 The stores are closed from II until 1 and at in the afternoon all business i ceases. The islanders are not really
 lazy. They have simply lost ambi- 1 tion.''
 | MT. Hill says the average man-ser.
 want receives $20 month and board
 while the housemaid considers hersel,
 we'll paid when she is given $1O .
 month.
 Many of the natives are wealthy
 and the sons and daughters are edu.
 cated in Paris or San Francisco. They
 arc usually very handsome and holt
 themselves proudly erect. The wo
 men do not wear corsets and arc gen.
 erally cCstumed in loose. Hooking
 garments. especially adaptable for tha
 climate. Only on verr special occa
 sions do they wear shoes. It is no
 uncommon to see a family in six cylinder car in imported gowns ant each and every one barefooted. Not many tourists are looked fo this year. owing to interrupted steam
 CT service. Many of the boats ar
 being used to carry from New Zea land and Australia or are being turne, into hospital ships.
 "The hottest time of the year is now the temperature being from 80 to g
 degrees continued MT. Hill in dis
 cussing the islands, where he not onl enjoyed an interesting visit but com
 pletely regained his health. 'It
 cool and dry from May until Septem
 Der, and the temperature varies iron
 60 to E degrees. It is in the sprin
 and summer that the globe trotte
 seeks this spct"
 II Mir. Hill was fourteen days on tn
 return journey, and according to hi
 own statement the trip was so roug
 he did not care whether he went t McGinty or not. His companions o
 the trip were Robert Allerton, the liv
 stock broker of Chicago, and Thoma
 Gallup, who is associated with M Allerton in business. While away the
 took hundreds of pictures of the coun \ try that is conceded by world traveller to be the most beautiful in the worl, of the natives and of every other fea III f,,ro that would ford fa <lrr,,, - 1;Ut