On The Edge Of Bloodshed

In Fiji

How Police Captured Apolosi, Founder of the Viti Company

IN March, we published some references to the rise and fall of the Viti Company, a partly co-operative concern, established in Fiji some 20 years ago by a clever Fijian, Apolosi Nawai.

It was a commendable plan; but it collapsed because Apolosi and his associates could not be trusted with large sums of money, and because, instead of attending to business, they went on carouses, and were very arrogant towards those who tried to save the enterprise.

We now have received the following interest ing article from Mr. Arthur Robinson, of Vunilagi, Vanua Levu, Fiji.

VIVID memories are recalled by an article in a recent “P.1.M.”, describing the activities of the late Viti Com pany of whom Apolosi R. Nawai was the promotor and director. It also reminds me of how close I myself, Inspector Scott Young, Inspector Swinbourne and Mr, Lord were to taking an internal part in that company, not as active members but as items on Apolosi’s menu at Yaqeta, in the Yasawas Group.

One of the hotbeds of the activities of Apolosi’s Company was the whole of the Yasawas Group, and there the natives were bled white, of both cash and pro duce.

The natives were told that anyone dealing with white men, in any shape or form, would be tried in Apolosi’s own court and imprisoned, as well as being debarred from ever becoming members again of the Viti Company. Head men were stationed right through the Group to collect share moneys, and collect copra for transport to the Company in Suva.

I was trading on the different islands, where I had stores, and all my stores had their quota of pickets stationed near to stop trade with me. It was unsuccess ful, I might add. During this period I would be awake at night, and attending to customers who came to my stores via the bush, while the pickets were home in bed thinking I had closed up and was a,bed, asleep.

And so it went on for months, culmin ating in the arrival of a warrant for Apolosi R. . Nawai’s arrest, for some offence at Rewa. The arrival of this war rant was expected, I believe, and it was through this that I and the Inspectors of Police became involved.

I was in Lautoka when that warrant arrived there, and was asked to take back to the Yasawas with me a native con stable who was to arrest Apolosi, and my cutter was to bring both men back again to Lautoka.

The native policeman was in plain clothes when he landed from my cutter at night, but was evidently recognised by one of the scouts watching arrivals on the beach. The native policeman pro ceeded to the village, in uniform, to carry out his duty of arresting Apolosi. On arrival at the village he found 12 burly natives each armed with spear and knife, stationed around the house out side as guards; these men threatened to kill the policeman if he put his foot in side the house. They said no policeman, white or black, would touch Apolosi’s per son, except over their dead bodies—and they meant every word they said; I am certain of that, to-day. Apolosi, from in side the house, added his threats to those of his guards by saying he would never

be arrested alive; the only thing the police would ever arrest would be his dead body, etc.

THE native policeman thought, as I did, that discretion was the better part of valour. He wrote to Inspector Stan lake, telling him to come and arrest Apolosi, as it was likely he, as a Fijian, would get killed.

I myself wrote to the District Commis sioner, telling him to send white Inspec tors, and arm them, as Apolosi and his followers were in a fighting mood. My letter was not taken seriously.

On the arrival of the “Lady Escott” with Inspector Scott Young, Inspector Swinbourne, Sergeant Paula (native) and a Mr. Lord (who accompanied the party for a pleasure trip) my first question was, “Have you come armed?”

The reply was: “No. What for? Wake up, Robinson! Do you think we want arms to arrest that bird? Where is he? We shall have him aboard this ship and be

back in Lautoka before dark.”

As it happened, Apolosi and his gang had left my island and gone to the ad

joining one, named Yaqeta Point, native scouts were seen running, as fast as they could go, to the village where Apolosi was installed. On arrival at the village anchor age. we could see hundreds of natives in a square, sitting down, with Apolosi, dressed in a Norfolk suit and holding a swagger-cane walking up and down the lines.

When we got ashore, and were close to the packed square of men, an order rang out. “Stand up!" Apolosi and his brother, Kini, were inside the square, with 3 rows of men between us and themselves. All men were Gumaloaed. (faces covered with black war-paint.) At this stage, I must mention a couple of important facts bearing on the subse quent proceedings. First, there was a big heap of dogo firewood, stacked in the beach side of where we stood. In front of us. there were 300 or 400 men, in a solid square. Behind this square were three lovos (native stone ovens) with the stones red-hot.

INSPECTOR Scott Young then called on Apolosi- to surrender to the war rant.

Apolosi said he would never be arrested alive, and even the Governor himself with all the police in Fiji, would never arrest him.

The 12 special guards were between Apolosi and the police, and they repeated, over and over again, that the police would only arrest Apolosi over their dead bodies, Apolosi ordered us back to the ship, several times, with the threat that if we did not go he would give the order for us all to be killed.

We stood our ground for over two hours, faced by a solid pack of natives, sweat ing with excitement and waiting for the word to kill us. It was while these parleys were going on that I heard Kini say, in the Yasawas dialect, to Sergeant Paula.

“You are a Fijian, like us. Throw off your uniform. Join us. We do not want to kill you and roast you with these white men in those three lovos.”

Paula was too dumbfounded to reply.

It took his breath away, for an instant or two. But Paula’s reply. “Sa sega ni rawa”, was a point-blank refusal.

Mr. Lord then asked me, quietly, what did I think of the position. Understanding every word spoken, I replied: “If Scott Young loses his temper and tries force, or touches Apolosi, we are dead men.”

I will never forget Lord’s reply, which was: “Well. Robinson, I’m getting a bit of that firewood; and, before they get me, I’m taking a few of these birds with me.”

He then very slowly backed to that heap of firewood, got his eyes on a nice handy piece, leaned his arm along the stack, with his hand resting on the piece, and awaited events. Lord was a 6 ft. man and, had it come to a fight, there would have been a little slaughter around that heap of firewood.

Like the original policeman, we eventu ally thought discretion the better part of valour and retired, beaten, back to the ship.

There was no sleep on the “Lady Escott” that night. Invitations to come ashore and be killed, as well as torch-light dances on the beach, depicting in panto mime our being killed, were very realis tic.

ON our arrival back at Lautoka. minus Apolosi, things started to move.

Colonel McOwen, Inspector-General of Police, took charge; the “Ranadi” was

immediately got ready; 20 armed Punjabi police, each with rifle, bayonet and 20 rounds of ammunition, were put aboard, as well as Dr. Hunt and a few European special police, armed with revolvers; and a course set for Ba Passage, where we anchored for the night.

About dusk, three sailing ships were seen making for the same passage, but could not make it before dark and they anchored five miles out. One of the ships I recognised as Apolosi’s cutter.

Colonel McOwen decided to await dark, then proceed with the ship’s whaleboats and make a quick surprise boarding of all three vessels. They took all armed men, and both green and red Very rockets, These were to be fired as follows. If resistance too strong, red rocket; green if everything O.K. The “Ranadi”, in the case of a red rocket being fired was to go full steam for the scene of action.

A green light gave us all relief from a long period of tension, , , . , , x . rpHE result of that raid was that about X. 100 men. among them Apolosi and his brother Kini, were at the identification parade at the station at

“gj f ““

collected 3 montns gaol apiece.

The ringleaders were taken on to Suva and, although defended by the ablest lawyers in Fiji, they got 9 to 18 months’ . lP? 10 u in \P, a “'S P* , A H°I? SI anc * 1S brother, they both fell foul of the * a w again. Kim was deported to Lau, where he died.

Apolosi was sent to the Island of Rotuma for six or seven years. When that term was over, he came back to Fiji, but was not long before getting into trouble again. This time he got 10 years on

Rotuma, where he is to-day cooling his heels.

I wonder if Scott Young, Singleton or Lord will see this article, and if it will recall any happy memories of that episode when we nearly became an internal part of the Fiji Company, via the menu at Yaqeta.