Unruly Fijian
p. 11 · Read in the full issue
Natives
Too Much Liberty and Too Much Liquor
From a Special Correspondent THERE has been a marked change for the worse in the condition of the Fijian natives, in and around the Suva district especially, in the past few years. It is seen in increased native drunkenness, in increased arrogance, and in increased petty crime.
There have been a number of cases of bag-snatching, sometimes with vio lence. Abuse of the liquor permit system is causing endless trouble.
Every Saturday night, and into the early hours of Sunday, we in Suva can hear drunken natives yelling in the streets, or see them lying down near somebody’s gateway. Their language often is bad.
Some years ago, we had a curfew, and all natives had to be inside their homes by 11 p.m. Any native, by reason of special employment at night, would be exempted, by the employer giving him a letter to the police, explaining the cir cumstances.
This worked very well indeed. The natives were quite satisfied and happy.
But then what happened?
Along came a new regime of civil ser vants, from other countries, who knew nothing about our natives. They thought the curfew was a hardship, and they took it off.
Then the Legislative Council altered the law regarding natives taxes. Instead of the native being obliged to pay his taxes from produce off his own land —or from the products of the sea—this method was scrapped, and the native allowed to pay in cash.
These three far-reaching changes— curfew taken off, new system of paying taxes, and the granting of liquor per mits—have had a very bad effect.
Natives of both sexes, and children of all ages, roam the streets of Suva at all hours of the night, and are fit for noth ing next day. It is a common sight, now, to see young native children, from eight years onwards, in the streets late at night, and fraternising with seamen off ships.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Since this article was put into type, word has been received that an 11.30 p.m. curfew has been ordered as from June 1.
WHEN taxes were paid by the natives in produce, there was usually a handsome surplus in cash for them, after their produce was sold. This sur plus all went back to the natives.
To-day, the method of paying in cash means that a lot of the natives do not pay at all. The police go round, day after day, with a large bunch of sum monses and warrants, looking for default ers. It is difficult to find defaulters, as they are. always on the move.
When the summons is eventually served, the case generally is heard in the defaulter’s absence. Judgment is given against him, and costs added. In a large number of cases this is disre garded by the defaulter; and then the police have another job, serving him with a warrant. If he is found, and served, the result usually is two weeks’ gaol.
Then he is released, and the procedure is repeated.
When taxes were paid in produce, the surplus was divided out by the magistrate of the district. I have known as much
as £l5OO go back in cash to one district.
With the present system, they lose all this, and many of them get summonses instead.
Another point is that when the native paid his tax in produce, he always had good food crops. To-day, food crops are hot nearly so good; and a lot of the natives now rely on the Indian rice grower and the Chinese taro-grower, for as much as he can get on credit.
IHAVE no hesitation in saying that the liquor permit system is leading to native demoralisation. There may be exceptions, of course, where per mits are issued to Fijians of rank, and of common-sense. But to make a gen eral thing of it is a great mistake. My contention is borne out by a reference to the “Local and General” column in our newspaper, much of which is taken up by reports of Fijians fined for being drunk and disorderly.
Taken on the whole, the Fijian is a splendid type of native. He is very intel ligent, and can very readily learn and understand matters formerly foreign to him. He should be protected and helped, and not demoralised.
Since I wrote this article, there is news of another bag-snatching incident. One night, early in May, about 7 p.m., a young European woman was attacked; her bag and umbrella were seized, and her assailant ran away. The umbrella was found 200 yards away. A couple of days later, the keys and driving licence from the bag were found by the police, stuck on top of a post near the police station.