CHINESE FOR TAHITI.

AN ISLAND PROBLEM-MYSTERIOUS MOVEMENTS OF THE YELLOW MAN.

By the steamer Maheno, there arrived in Auskland a party of fortyseven Chinese en route fov Tahiii. The island boat now almos: regularly carries large numbers of Chinamen 'to Papeete, and thci total for ttie pas: ehree mon-hs is considerabie. Why hey go, and hai they do when they geti Qiere, are questions fraugh; with a cerain amount of intercstj and were the Mibjec; of an interview this morning with Mr. JA. Phillips, ,a wellknown resident of Tahiti, at present a visiD :o Auckland. "Where do the Chinese yo to said Ma Phillips. "Well, '-hat's not easy of explanation. For two years past they have been arriving at Papefce in large numbers, but jusb wheare Jacy drift to is a problem. The party t ideavc Auckland by the Na,vua on Wednesday will probably do as most previous parties have done. Fo- a wnile, perhaps a fortnight, they will d o casual work on the planations, then they will disappear. The Chinese in Tahiti as a iype are above the ordinary. Very tew are eoioiie.Sj and moatiy they belong to the merchant At the present time the Chinese population totals well on a ..thousand aaid is fast reaching the combined 1 strength of the European population. MoreO'Verj they bid fair to monopolise trade.

At present the bigges: business in Papeete is carried on as a branch can cem by a well-known Auckland firm, bui tlie principal' French and Germain houses complain that :he Chinese are gradually undor-seiliing and monopolising the 1 whole of the native trade. They have established a name for integrity, and have steadily increased their influence, until it embraces all tho. islands in the group. The vanilla trade is entixely in -tile hands of John Chinaman, and his influence throughout; the group is extending all "the while;

"The Chinese immigrant, however, does not come to. swell the long-establdhed celestial population of Papeete Each group of new arrivals becomes 'swallowed up,' and presumably goes in jo do.7Ze;Tcnt island to coaipletjs the network by which most- of the native tiado is 'drawn into the hands of ;he Chinese merchants.

"The extraoa dinary thinig 1s 'however, tha: almost every mpnth comes a new batch of Chinesej and just where they disappear to is something! cha- even the European resident in the group cannot quite explain. The French Government imposes mo substantial embargo upon their advent, and very few go out, while hundreds come in."

Grey River Argus , 7 November 1911, Page 1