Fiji-lndion Leader's
p. 40 · Read in the full issue
Protest
THE following is from “Sydney Morn
ing Herald” of September 12; Mr Said Hasan, a member of the Legislative Council of Fiji, who has arrived in Sydney on his way to Cal cutta, complained yesterday that immi gration and Customs authorities in Aus tralia and New Zealand were discrimi nating unfairly between Indians and white aliens.
He said that recently his wife was not allowed to leave the ship while it was at Auckland, but American passengers were allowed to land. When he left to loin his wife in Calcutta the Governor of Fiji (Sir Harry Luke) had sent a cable to the Australian and New Zealand Gov ernments asking them to give him every assistance.
EDITORIAL NOTE: It is a fact that the ships’ inspection services at ports like Sydney and Auckland could do with an overhaul. Too many “rules and regu lations hounds” are given the import ant task of interviewing the people who arrive on ships and seek entry to Brit ish countries. They deal easily and promptly with people of British names and nationality; but they regard as suspect all persons of non-British names, and all non-Europeans—and thereby give endless offence to travellers who, very often, are people of importance, and good friends of the British. Men of tact and initiative are needed for such duties, with sufficient authority to treat every traveller as non-suspect until he is proved suspect. For example, Mr. Said Hasan, and Indian leaders of similar standing in Fiji, have as good a status, as loyal Britishers, as has any man of Anglo-Saxon blood in the Empire: and it is intolerable that they should be given cause for offence in the manner complained of above.
Mr. S. C. Beazley, technical instructor of the Methodist Mision at Mulakuna, New Britain, who has been in Australia during the past 12 months, will return to Rabaul at the end of October. He re cently underwent an operation in Sydney for appendicitis, and is making a good recovery.
Mr. H. O’Donnell, who has been Sub- Collector of Customs at Thursday Island for three years, has been transferred to Australia. Mr. Robert Gauld has taken his place at TI.