Fiji's Urgent
pp. 60-61 · Read in the full issue
Problem
How to Find Labour to Replace the Changing Indians
A LTHOUGH Indians were originally introduced to work the sugar plan tations in Fiji, and there now are nearly 90,000 of them in that colony, the plan—as has been evident for years— has gone sadly awry. Fiji now is faced with a serious labour problem.
It is several years since the indenture system was abolished, and the Indians were allowed to settle down as peasant farmers in Fiji, on the understanding that they would grow sugar-cane for the C.S.R. Company and provide the mill labour that was necessary.
But things have not gone that way— and the development with which Fiji now is faced was inevitable. The older In dians, who came out under the inden ture system, have died out —about 75 per cent, of those now in Fiji are Fijian born. The young Indian, having en joyed education, and a freer and better life than his forebears knew in India, ouite naturally wants more of the good things of life, and does not take kindly to hard labour and peasant farming.
The productiveness of Fiji is growing.
Labour is wanted urgently for the pro duction of sugar, gold, pineanples, and various minor crops; and the Indian la bour available is not now enough to meet the demand. The younger Indians insist upon receiving a higher reward for their labour. The princinal employers, the Colonial Sugar Refining Co., point to world competition in the sugar indus try, and easily prove their contention that higher wages simply cannot be paid in that industry.
Mr. N. S. Chalmers, a well-known resi dent of Ba, Fiji, in an interesting arti cle in the “Fiji Times”, has surveyed the whole position, and declares that Fiji must face facts—namely, that Fijians, be ing landowners and having the Islands temperament, never will supply labour: and that the character of the Indian population is changing, so that the In dians will become similarly undepend able for labour supply. Instances are given to show that labourers on the sugar plantations now will not work un less they are guaranteed a bonus, in addition to the wages fixed by law. He urges that Fiji loses no time in at tacking the nroblem. and he argues that the real solution lies in bringing in Chinese under a strict system. He points out that the Chinese is industrially de pendable and. unlike the Indian, he never makes a political nuisance of him self.
The “Fiji Times” editorially supports this view. It says that if the develonment of Fiji is to continue at the present rate, the labour problem must be faced.
Mr. V. Deo has taken up the cudgels on behalf of the Indian population, and ouotes statistics at length to show that Indians are not deserting the labour market which they were orieinallv brought in to supply. Unfortunately for Mr. Deo. the facts sneak for themselves.
By implication, Mr. Deo lays the blame on the C.S.R. Co., and finally says;— “The remedy is not in Chinese labour— it is in the bands of the C.S.R. Co., who can afford to pay more for the cane grown in Fiji”.
The C.S.R. Co. says emphatically that it cannot do this. mHERE really are two problems in Fiji X —namely, how to provide the grow ing industries with sufficient labour, and what to do with the growing Indian po pulation, which insists that it wants to be landowners and professional and business men (most of the land is own ed by Fijian natives), and wants to climb out of the cheap labouring class.
The first problem may be solved eventually by bringing in another kind of Asiatic labour, but the second is de finitely the source of a headache.
The mistake, of course, was in allow ing the Indians to settle in Fiji. These things follow an unvarying course. In two or three generations, the immigrant people want to abandon the status of labourers. It has happened in a dozen countries. It has happened in Island Territories on either side of Fiji—in New Guinea and Tahiti. In each case, Chi nese, who were brought in as labourers, were allowed to settle in the country.
To-day, in New Guinea and Tahiti, their sons and grandsons are traders and ar tisans, and turn up their noses at any suggestion that they should provide la bour that is necessary for the develop ment of those Territories.