The Viti Co.

interesting Experiment in Fijian Native Trading

(By Gilchrist Alexander, in “From the Middle Temple to the South Seas”, dealing with a period of about 20 years ago.) I WAS much interested in a move ment among the Fijians, which appeared to be an effort on the part of some of them to emancipate them selves from the control of the white man in the disposal of native pro duce.

For centuries, the Fijians have been dominated by their chiefs. At one time, the control of the chiefs was absolute, and their privileges in re spect to lala and other matters were immense. It was all the more note worthy that the movement of which I speak appeared to be directed by a commoner—one Apolosi Nawai, who, however, was credited by the more superstitious with possessing almost divine powers.

Apolosi was the managing director of the Viti Company, Ltd.—“Viti” be ing the native form of “Fiji”. The company was in the nature of a co operative societv. whose main object was the sale of native produce, prin cipally bananas, for the benefit of the many native shareholders. Unlike the similar society in Tonga, the Kautaha, which was obviously engineered by white men for personal purposes, the Viti Company, Ltd., seemed to be a genuine effort on the part of the natives to conduct their own business.

Apolosi published the following notice in the European newspapers:— “To all the population of the Colony of Fiji: “This is mv confession letter to you all, my brethren.

“Before I commence my business I will let you know first the foundation of my work. I.—l shall love all my brethren. 2.—1 shall honour all the chiefs. 3.—1 will honour the King ; through all his subjects. 4. —I will fear the Lord our God.

“These are the foundations of my work at present.

Apolosi R. Nawai.”

A week or two later, notices ap peared headed: “Viti Company, Ltd.

To all you gentlemen who buy bananas”, and signed, “Apolosi R.

Nawai, Managing Director”.

The new company was in difficul ties from the beginning. It incurred the hostility of the white planters and merchants, who strongly resented the appearance of a united body of native rivals in business. The Wesleyan Methodist Mission suffered a huge financial loss, when large numbers of natives transferred the contributions which they would ordinarily have given to the mission to the new com pany.

To the Government, Apolosi was anathema. He had come into conflict with the police at the Yasawas, and

had suffered a term of imprisonment, He was regarded as a dangerous man, and his extraordinary power over the people was feared.

That Apolosi’s power was real was evident when a meeting of the company was held in the Town Hall of Suva. For days before the meeting, natives flocked to Suva from all over the Colony. Sleeping-room was at a

premium, and certain wanderers dur ing prohibited hours were accommo dated perforce in the lock-up.

Seven hundred natives congregated in the Town Hall on the day of the meeting. Apolosi, attired in a well fitting tussore silk suit, made by a Sydney tailor, drove up in a smart motor car, and was received with al most regal state. His address to the

natives differed as much from the speech of a City of London chairman of directors as the South Seas differ from London, but it had the secret of success. He played upon the men tality of his audience with the skill of a Lloyd George. With business details he had little concern. Loyalty to the company and support for himself were the keynotes of his theme, and he adroitly wove into his speech an appeal to his followers to respect the Government.

This experiment in native co-opera tion was almost foredoomed to failure.

Without experience of business habits and methods, and with a thriftless ness and extravagance seemingly in herent in those trained in communist ideas, the native directors of the com pany soon involved themselves in a hopeless tangle. Under the law which enacted that where a contract was entered into between a native and a non-native party for more than £2O, the non-native party must submit a memorandum to the Magistrate of the district, the affairs of the company came under my notice. I had a good deal of sympathy with the objects of the company, but it soon became ap parent that it was not properly con stituted, and the technical obstacles to natives trading on a large scale were almost insuperable.

Added to all this, Apolosi and some of his followers lacked moral stamina.

They could not be trusted with large sums of money, and were constantly involved in drunken brawls in the town. I have recollections of a case in \yhich a European butcher, in censed at Apolosi’s insolent intrusion into his shop, had used by way of a boxing-glove a large and juicy piece of raw meat.

The ultimate end of the Viti Com pany, and of its managing director, did not come under my personal ob servation. After I had left the Colony, Apolosi got into serious trouble with the authorities and was eventually deported to Rotumah, an island de pendency of Fiji somewhat distant from the main group. And so ended what I have alwavs thought might, under sympathetic and skilled guid ance, have been a useful lesson and training to native Fijians in the con duct of industrial affairs.

Professor Peter H. Buck and Professor Radcliffe Brown have been honoured by the Anthropological Society of New South Wales by being elected honorary mem bers. Dr. Buck is back at Yale Univer sity, U.S.A., for a year, though he is ex pected in New Zealand for the centen ary celebrations towards the close of 1939.

Dr. Radcliffe Brown occupies the Chair of Anthropology at Oxford, England. Both have had long experience in Pacific re search.

Dr. H. lan Hogbin, president of the Pacific Islands Club in Sydney, will not seek re-election at the annual meeting in April. Under Club rules the president can only hold office for two years in succession. Members, generally, will re ceive this intimation with regret, for he has proved a most capable president. He will, however, continue his association with the Club he assisted in founding.