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WESTERN PACIFIC.

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

61

Reference :--

C.O. 885

24 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRIHENOT TO

SIR,

Enclosure 4 in No. 104.

(Gilbert and Ellice. Confidential)

4th September, 1914.

Office of the High Commissioner for the Western Pacific,

Suva, Fiji, 24th September, 1914.

I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your Confidential des- patches of the dates noted in the margin, on the subject of the steps taken by you for the defence of Ocean Island in consequence

4th September, 1914.

7th September, 1914.

of the outbreak of war with Germany and Austria-Hungary.

2. In accordance with the request made in the third paragraph of the earlier of your Confidential letters of the 4th instant, I enclose a commission, appointing Mr. Stanley Anderson to be a Lieutenant in the Ocean Island Volunteer Reserve, and I am glad to find that he has placed his services at your disposal.

3. The rates of pay granted to members of the Fiji Defence Force on active service are as follow:-

Commissioned officers, 10s. 6d. per diem. Non-commissioned officers, 88. 8d. per diem. Privates, 78. per diem.

Half rates are paid when the whole time of officers, non-commissioned officers, and men is not required for actual defence work.

4. I regret that it is not possible for me to comply with the request made in the second of your Confidential letters of the 4th instant and to forward to you 100 rifles. I have given directions, however, that 5,000 rounds of ammunition should be sent to your address by the s.8. "Frithjof," now in harbour, which is proceeding, so I understand, in a few days to Ocean Island, and I am approaching the Governor-General of Australia as to the possibility of his being able to supply you with 100 rifles. The cost of the ammunition will be £4 10s. per 1,000 rounds, exclusive of freight and other charges, if any.

5. I will refer to the Secretary of State, for his consideration, the offer made by the Japanese labourers who are under indenture to the Pacific Phosphate Com- pany to form a corps to assist in the protection of the food supplies, and I should prefer that the offer should not be accepted until the Secretary of State's instruc- tions have been received. If, however, any sudden emergency should arise, and you should consider it desirable, after consulting the representative of the Pacific Phosphate Company, to accept without delay the services of the 61 men referred to in the second paragraph of your letter of the 7th instant, I authorize you on my behalf to enrol them as members of the Volunteer Reserve, and to make such use of their services as you may deem expedient. I may mention, for your infor- mation, that, according to the telegrams which have been received in Fiji, Japan has declared war against Germany. Telegraphic news has also reached Fiji that the island of Nauru has been taken from Germany.

6. I shall be glad if, in any case, you will cause to be conveyed to the Japanese labourers my appreciation of their offer to place at your disposal a corps for the protection of food supplies.

His Britannic Majesty's Resident Commissioner,

Gilbert and Ellice Islands Protectorate.

(Confidential.)

SIE,

I have, &c.,

BICKHAM ESCOTT,

High Commissioner.

Enclosure 5 in No. 104.

Office of the High Commissioner for the Western Pacific,

Suva, Fiji, 24th September, 1914.

I HAVE the honour to inquire whether it would be possible for Your Excel- lency's Government to supply the Resident Commissioner of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Protectorate with 100 rifles, to be used for arming members of the Volunteer Reserve at Ocean Island.

2.

If Your Excellency should be able to arrange that 100 rifles should be forwarded to Ocean Island, either on loan or on payment, I shall be very grateful, as, owing to the shortage of rifles in Fiji, I have been unable to accede to the request which has been made to me by the Resident Commissioner of the Protec torate that 100 rifles should be sent to Ocean Island for the purpose indicated above.

I have, &c.,

His Excellency

The Governor-General,

Commonwealth of Australia,

Governor-General's Office,

Melbourne.

47518

No. 105.

BICKHAM ESCOTT,

High Commissioner.

THE HIGH COMMISSIONER to THE SECRETARY OF STATE.

(Received 30th November, 1914.)

(Secret.)

[Answered by No. 108.]

Office of the High Commissioner for the Western Pacific, SIR,

Suva, Fiji, 7th October, 1914. I HAVE the honour to transmit to you, for your information, a copy of corre spondence with the Acting Resident Commissioner, Solomon Islands, on the subject of arrangements made in the British Solomon Islands consequent on the outbreak of war with Germany.

I have, &c.,

BICKHAM ESCOTT,

High Commissioner.

Reference to previous correspondence: High Commissioner's despatch, Secret,

of 18th August, 1914.*

Enclosure 1 in No. 105.

(Solomon Islands. Confidential.)

Resident Commissioner's Office, Tulagi,

YOUR EXCELLENCY,

22nd August, 1914. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge your telegram of 7th instant, notifying that war has broken out with Germany. This message I received by the steamer Tambo," a small steamer substituted [? subsidized] by Burns, Philp & Company, which arrived on the evening of the 18th instant.

2. The "Tambo" brings news from Sydney up to the 8th August, and nothing further is known since that date

3. Regular communication with Australia and other outside places is inter- rupted, with no information as to when another mail may be expected, or when a vessel will depart for Australian or other ports from whence mails and messages may be despatched. I am taking the advantage of the "Tambo" going to Ocean Island to take this letter; it is just possible it may either meet another vessel or go back to Sydney.

4. The thanks of the community are due to Burns, Philp & Company for their foresight in loading the " Tambo" up with provisions and shutting out other cargo; this will enable all hands to procure food and provisions for a few months. 5. I have ascertained that there are ample canned provisions in stock, but that there may be a shortage of some commodities. The focal native food supply

T 2

* No. 101.