Sir Harry Luke
p. 36 · Read in the full issue
First Impressions of New Administrator
By a Fiji Correspondent
SIR HARRY LUKE, the new Governor of Fiji, and High Commissioner for the Western Pacific, who exercises virtually the powers of a dictator over a large section of the Central Pacific, has made a good impression here. He is a man of marked kindliness and con sideration for others, and he is never too hurried or pressed by business to show those little courtesies which matter so much in both the official and unofficial world. He has been handicapped a lit tle by a lack of knowledge of South Sea conditions, but he has made up for that
by his conscientious and painstaking at tention to every aspect of the innumer able matters brought before him for de cision. He never for one moment for gets that he is the Governor —yet he is approachable and very human in all his contacts with the various classes and races with whom he has to deal. One feels that he takes his many responsi bilities seriously, and that he has a keen sense of justice.
Sir Harry Luke spent some years in important Administrative positions in and about the Mediterranean—latterly, as Governor of Malta —and none under stands better than he the growing strain of the international situation in recent years. Perhaps he hoped that in being transferred to this distant part of the world he would find life a little easier.
By now, I am afraid, he has been un deceived.
If the problem of defence exercises British genius and statesmanship in the Mediterranean region, it makes an even greater call upon the best qualities of British Administrators in this part of the world. One of the first important duties performed by Sir Harry Luke was to attend the South-Western Pacific de fence conference held in New Zealand in April. At this moment, throughout all the Territories which have been placed in the care of Sir Harry Luke, and in the adjoining Territories controlled by France, Australia and New Zealand, steps are beipg taken rapidly to create a sys tem of defence which may be employed if necessary against any terror which may descend upon us from overcrowded Asia.
The Colony of Fiji, by reason of the curious racial position here, demands a form of Government that is practically autocratic; and the success of that Gov ernment depends almost wholly upon the character of the man who is at the head of it. Realising that, the people of Fiji awaited the advent of the new Gover nor with some trepidation. First impres sions have been recorded; and, for the present, we are content.