Prosperous Fiji

Present Boom Attributed To New Gold Industry

FIJI is more prosperous than it has ever been”, said Mr. W. H. Brabant a retired Comptroller of Customs for Fiji, who arrived at Auckland by the ‘Niagara” in January. Signs of this new prosperity were everywhere. Suva, the capital, was being practically re built and other portions of the Fiji group were showing signs of activity in road-building and general public works The whole country was alive with the latest model motor cars.

“Where does all this come from?” Mr Brabant asked. “Sugar production is normal and steady, due to British and Canadian preference for Empire sugar New Zealand absorbs the bulk of the shrunken banana crop, and the copra in dustry is suffering because of low world prices. That indicates a normal if not a sub-normal activity. It is the pro duction of gold developed during the past three years that is the real cause of prosperity”.

A great deal of outside capital had been spent in the development of the three principal mines, with the result that all were now producing gold and two had reached the dividend stage, he said. They bade fair to rival in value the output of the sugar industry.

“Of course, to keep pace with these new developments the Government has spent a lot of money on public works”, Mr. Brabant continued. “That is being financed partly by borrowing in London, partly from the accumulated surplus of previous years, and partly from the in creased revenue which the new prosper ity has brought”.