Miners’ Demands

Strike Threatened on Mr.

Theodore’s Fiji Mine

THERE was an incipient strike at the Tavua goldfield, northern Fiji, early in October.

Miners had been taken from Australia to Fiji to work on the Emperor, Loloma and Koroere mines, under the general direction of Mr. E. G. Theodore. The contract made between the men and their employer provided that they were to re ceive £5 per week; their passages were to be paid; and quarters were to be provided, while they were to be charged 22/- per week for board. It appears that there were a few restless spirits among the men and on October 4 they presented to Mr. Theodore’s representative (Mr.

Theodore being then in Melbourne) a demand for a wage of at least £6, for a 44-hours week. The hot-heads induced the remainder of the men to follow, and they announced that if their demands were not conceded they would cease work.

A meeting was called for Sunday, Octo ber 6.

More moderate counsels prevailed, how ever, and the men resumed work on Monday on the understanding that their case would be considered by Mr. Theo dore in person as soon as he returned from Australia.

Time brings many changes. One has to pinch oneself to remember that this wealthy mine owner, Mr. Theodore, whose enterprises are threatened by a strike led by agitators, is the same Mr. Theo dore who once was such a stormy petrel in the Labour politics of Queensland and the Commonwealth.

The Emperor Lode

Apologies are due to some of the com panies which hold leases surrounding the Emperor Mine, Tavua, Fiji. In the Sep tember issue of the Pacific Islands Monthly there was reproduced a small locality plan, showing the position of the various leases. Two wavy lines ran through that plan, going roughly from north-east to south-west. In a caption under the plan we said that the wavy lines represented the approximate direc tion of the lode. This is not so. The lines actually represented small streams.

The main Emperor lode is in much the same position as the streams, but it runs apparently from north-west to south east and thus cuts through the middle of the lease of Tavua Gold Developments N.L., instead of through the corner of that section.