Indian Problem In Fiji.

Commercial Man’s Pessimistic Summary.

A commercial manager who has been spending a brief furlough in Aus tralia has given us an exceedingly dismal account of the condition of Fiji, so far as the Indian problem is con cerned.

Our friend says, in so many words, that the settlement of Indians in this rich Colony has virtually ruined it as a home for British people, although Fiji has a climate and soil comparable to Central Queensland, where there is a virile and growing white population.

Our informant —a young Australian given to shrewd observation —also expresses the opinion that it will be only a comparatively short time before the Indians drive the native Fijians out of Fiji and entirely possess their country. He expresses the view, in no unmeasured terms, that the British, in introducing the Indians to Fiji, have betrayed the Fijian people.

The Indians were brought into Fiji as peasant laborers for the sugar mills.

In no other way could the sugar pro ducers solve the labor problem, be cause the Fijians, like most South Sea Islanders, will not hire themselves out as laborers. At first, the Indians came in under an indenture system and were regularly returned to India at the expiry of their period of service. Little by little, however, the system broke down until there was finally sub stituted for it the present system, whereunder small areas of land are made available to Indian peasant proprietors, who are under an obliga tion to grow and supply cane to the sugar mills and provide other labor as required.

This system has worked admirably.

It has solved the sugar mills’ imme diate problems and it has established in Fiji a numerous class of peasant farmers, who form a base on which a large trading system has been built.

But, in recent years, a large section of the Indians have refused to remain peasant farmers. It appears that numbers of them leave the land as soon as they have saved £50 or £100, and go into trade. Their system of trading is unique. Half a dozen band together in a little company, pool their cash resources, and devote themselves to trading in one particular line, in which they seek a very small profit.

Under some sort of unwritten under standing, these little Indian trading groups appear to divide up among themselves all the different lines which are mostly handled by one general store, each group taking the line which, apparently, it can most con veniently handle; and the inevitable result is that the general store is driven out of business. We are in formed, that owing to the low standard of living of the Indian population, the Indians’ extreme industry, and the low rate of profit they seek, it is now diffi cult for the general trading business to be conducted in Fiji with more than a gross profit of 10 per cent.

The Indians, in the past few years, have invaded every section of Fijian trade and industry. A large part of the native trading is in their hands. They supply the European population with

most of its fresh food. They control the motor transport services to the extent of nearly 100 per cent. They carry on a large and increasing pro portion of the retail distributing trade in the manner already described.

They provide a large and increasing proportion of the artisan labor. Very many of the domestic servants em ployed by Europeans in Fiji now are Indians. The Fijian-born section of the Indian population is being educated and as a result the Indians are in clined to invade the professions and more highly skilled trades. In so many words, “there is no future for Euro peans in Fiji.”

The next stage in the history of Indian settlement in Fiji is likely to be a demand for a share in the govern ment of the Colony. So far, the Indian demand for a Common Roll, and all that that connotes, has been success fully resisted; but with the growing in fluence and power of the Indian popu lation the position may be altered.

The foregoing summary of the position in this rich Colony is very pessimistic: and may have been exaggerated. But it is a fact that there has been little growth in European commercial business in Fiji during the past ten years, apart from the expan sion in sugar growing; and it is a further fact that at least one large European trading concern is being liquidated.

In a general sense it seems to us that if there is to be any future Euro pean expansion in Fiji there must be some limitation of Indian activity and enterprise. So far, there has been no announcement by the British Colonial Office of any particular policy regard ing the Indians in Fiji. If there is to be no interference with present condi tions, the Indians will dominate Fiji within twenty years. On the other hand, if there is to be a policy designed to check Indian expansion in Fiji, and

give Europeans a chance, there are bound to be serious political disturb ances there. The Indians always re sent racial discrimination, as has been proved in other parts of the Empire.