E. G, Theodore

Leader of Fiji Gold Industry Named in Extraordinary Incident

RESIDENTS in Fiji, who raise their hats to the man who defied the re ports of experts, and established the now highly prosperous and profitable p'old-mining industry in Fiii —Mr. E. G.

Theodore—will be interested in an inci dent in Australia recently.

The Premiers and Treasurers of all the States gathered in conference to consider their loan requirements for public works.

The Federal Treasurer, busy financing Australia’s war effort, told them, bluntly that they would have to reduce their de mands to the lowest limit and that, above all, they should cut out all waste.

The Premiers in conference, produced an excellent nlan —namely, that the whole of the States’ works programmes should be co-ordinated, and that the most able man available be secured to act as supervisor and co-ordinator of public works activities.

Th°y nominated for the job Mr. E. G, Theodore —a man of advanced political views, who had been noted for his out standing ability when Premier of Queens land and Commonwealth Treasurer, and who retired in disgust from politics sev eral years ago and devoted himself to business —to his own great personal benefit.

It was Mr. Theodore who established the new gold industry in Fiji, which has com pletely altered the economic outlook in that Colony; and it was Mr. Theodore, also, who was largely responsible for the establishment of a new newspaper enter prise in Sydney.

But, as soon as the plan was known in Canberra, there arose from the arro gant politicians there a squawk which was really terrible. ‘"What!” they cried. “Are we going to ask favours of ‘Red Ted’? Is it possible that, in ’ order to get a man to put the public works of Australia in order, the Premiers propose to turn to a person of whom we long have disapproved? Have the Premiers forgotten that here in Canberra are we, men capable of saving the country in any kind of crisis? We won’t stand for this! If the Premiers dare to introduce ‘Red Ted’ among us, we shall resign forthwith.”

The clamour was so great that the Prime Minister (Mr. Menzies)—who never, at any time, seems to have a mind of his own—uttered smoothing words, and assured the yelping politicians that he had not proposed to appoint Mr. Theo dore to any position, and that Mr. Theo dore had never been communicated with, anyway—it was only an idea of the Premiers, And that, up to the moment, is the end of the plan.

Actually, it was so admirable a plan that it is difficult to believe that it emanated from a Premiers’ Conference.

Of all men in sight, Mr. Theodore prob ably is the one most suited to fill the position contemplated, and to give to Australia services of outstanding value in wartime. But here, as always, the Commonwealth interests have been sub verted to the whims and prejudices of Australia’s useless tribe of professional politicians.

Mr. J. Grahamslaw arrived in Queens land in May by air from Port Moresby, Papua, to visit his wife who has been in a Cairns hospital. It was his first visit to Australia in 30 years.

Mr. R. I. C. Macgregor, of the Fiji Forestry Department, married Miss Mina Drummond, of Svdnev. in Suva recently.