Community

P.I.M. Editor and Fiji-Indian Community

IN Suva, on July 23, the Editor of the Pacific Islands Monthly (Mr. R. W.

Robson, F.R.G.S.) was invited to meet a group of representative Fiji-Indians and discuss with them some of the Colony’s political questions which affect the Indian community. The meeting was distin guished by frank speaking, and a very cordial relationship was established.

The political and economic conditions of the Indian community were described for Mr. Robson’s information, by Hon. K. B.

Singh and Rev. Ramsay Deoki.

Mr. Robson urged that the agitation for the “common roll” should be abandoned. If the Indians were to be an important in fluence in the Fiji Government of the future, it would be achieved by exercising the qualities of good citizenship, and not by continuing an agitation that only created embarrassment and bad feeling, and that, in any event, had an object that was impracticable. If a “common roll” were granted, its logical consequence would be self-government. He assured them, out of a wide experience in political journalism, that democratic government, where only one race was concerned, was often dis tinguished by inefficiency, and sometimes by corruption. In Fiji, with its four com munities, so-called self-government would be calamitous. The existing system might have some of the irritating short comings of unimaginative bureaucracy; but it did give strict, even-handed jus tice to all men and all races, and—as far

as such a thing was possible—it was in corruptible. Mr. Robson said that while in Fiji, he had discussed the Fijian Ad ministration with all sorts and classes of people: and he had not heard even a sug gestion that the Government was “get-at able,” by influence or by money. From such a Government, the Indians could expect justice and protection. They could not, with the same certainty, ex pect such things from a government based on adult franchise exercised by the people of four different communities.

Mr. Robson said that he was impressed by the industry and orderliness of the Indian community, and the way in which they farmed the land. They had been given a proper status in the new Consti tution of the Legislative Council, and, if they were wise, they would be content with that. The activities of the educated Indians of Fiji should be directed to the solution of a real rather than a hypo thetical problem—namely, how to provide sufficient land, on an acceptable tenure, for the growing Indian community, with out impinging upon the present and future right of the Fijian land-owners.

Mr. Robson thanked the Indians for their hospitality and their good wishes: and the function ended with expressions of mutual goodwill.

Mr. R. F. Bunting, son of the Hon.

Arthur Bunting, M.L.C., returned to Samarai, Papua, at the end of July, after 10 months’ holiday in Australia.