Fiji’S Public

Works

How Government Will Spend £182,500

From Our Own Correspondent,

Suva, Nov. 26.

AT the Budget Session of the Legisla tive Council held during October, the Governor announced that the Secretary of State for the Colonies had approved of a further loan being raised by Fiji for certain major public works, the comple tion and improvement of the main road around Viti Levu and the construction of new Government offices at Suva.

The expediture on roads will be made partly on reconstructing a section of about 100 miles on the north-western coast of the main island. This road was made by the local Road Boards at low cost years ago, but lacks the necessary foundation to carry the present volume of traffic. Nowadays something like 2000 passengers a month travel between Lau toka and Suva, mainly in 18-passenger lorry-buses.

The construction of a new road be tween Sigatoka and Suva will absorb part of the new loan. This means a new stretch of about 85 miles along the south ern coast, through the pastoral district of Navua. Thus the circuit of Viti Levu will be completed, and it will be possible to drive 320 miles from Suva round the main island, through the prosperous sugar growing centres of Penang, Ba, and Lautoka and back to Suva.

Sigatoka, three hours’ drive from Suva, will become the week-end resort of the harassed civil servants and the care-free merchants of Suva. It possesses a really good natural golf course, whilst the beach at Cuvu (close by) is a perfect gem and typically tropical.

There is a very real need for new gov ernment buildings in Suva. The present offices are of the old-fashioned type, wood and iron, half a century old. Rickety and decayed, a strong gale would scatter their remains like autumn leaves over all Suva.

One hears that a somewhat insalubrious section of the town is to be compulsorily resumed and that the total cost is to be in the neighbourhood of £125,000.

To provide for the above works, re course will be had to the surplus funds of the Colony, augmented by a loan raised in London. Cable advices received by the Fiji Government report that this loan has been issued in London—£182,soo (sterling), redeemable in 1960-1970, with sinking fund of 1 per cent, per annum.

The striking feature is that this loan has been issued at £99, bearing the very low rate of interest of 3 per cent. Once again, fortunate Fiji!