Suva

New City Of

Rapid Change in Appearance and Character

fpHE character of Suva, chief town of X Fiji, is changing rapidly. For a long time it was not a very impressive collection of buildings—comparable maybe with a North Queensland town. Its at tractiveness was given to it rather by its topographical features and its pleasant tropical situation, and by its cosmopoli tanism, rather than by the beauty of its buildings.

But there has been a great deal of building in recent years.

The Union Steam Ship Company start ed it by building the Grand Pacific Hotel among the palm trees overlooking the lagoon at the eastern end of the town, and then, of course, there had to be an attractive boulevard to connect the town with the hotel. This improved the whole appearance of the waterfront. At the other or western end of the town the place was improved by the erection of creditable buildings by the big firms— especially Burns Philp (S.S.) Co., Ltd., and Morris, Hedstrom, Ltd.

Then came the biggest development of all. The Government at a cost of about £200,000 erected a magnificent block of offices in the eastern side of the town, in what had been formerly a slum district, and this dominating pile not only pleased the eye but changed the character of the place so that instead of being a small tropical town it really now has something of the character of a city.

Thus stimulated, building in Suva has gone on apace.

Messrs. A. J. Swann and Co., pharma ceutical chemists, in August, moved from their old shop into new and commodious premises at the corner of Victoria Parade and Pratt Street. The new shoo is de scribed as being exceptionally roomy and well lit and carries all modem appoint ments.

It is expected that at the end of October the contractors will have com pleted a new building for the Bank of N.S.W.—a fine new place built on modern lines which is a credit not only to the bank but also to the young tropical city.

Suva, the chief town of what is prob ably the richest British Crown Colony, an important shipping centre at the crossroads of the Southern Pacific, and now to be an airport on the trans pacific airlines, is assured of a great future.

Cost Of New Government Block

Some of the more careful business men are complaining rather bitterly because of the high cost of the new Government block—namely £190,000 odd. They point out that the original estimate was in the vicinity of £3o,ooo—this ,of course, being before the Great War. Little by little the estimate was advanced until when the actual building was commenced it was somewhere in the vicinity of £150,000 Before it was all over, the cost as stated, was nearly £200,000. During the 20 years or more while this plan was under con sideration the costs of building and materials advanced enormously. Further more, when the contractors began to dig the foundations of the building they found that they were on shifty ground which involved costs far greater than any thing anticipated. Finally, it is very rarely that the cost of an enterprise of this description is kept within the official figures.

The old councillors of the Fijian Gov ernment may have good cause for grumbling—but at least they can claim that in their time the Government of Fiji erected a building which is a credit to the Colony and which probably will repay them many times over in the in creased value of all properties in Suva.

The Australian Labour Party, by action in the Commonwealth Parliament, is trying to persuade the Australian Govern ment to put pressure on the Phosphate Commission, to induce the latter to em ploy only Australians, instead of natives, on the ships which run between Aus tralian ports and Nauru,