Pacific Islands Monthly
The news magazine of the South Pacific · since 1930
Pacific Islands Monthly, 20 March 1944Vol. XIV, No. 8

Fiji Now Rejoices in "Travel Priorities"

p. 30 · Read in the full issue

Page 3030

"Travel Priorities"

Another War Curse Descends on the Colony

rE whole question of travel between Fiji and New Zealand was some what clarified, if not relieved, at the end of January, when the Fijian Gov ernment announced that in future a system of travel priorities would be introduced.

Great difficulty has been experienced by Fiji residents wishing to travel to the Dominion, and recent discussions between the Fiji and New Zealand Governments indicate that for some time to come the number of steamship passages available for civilian travellers will be far short of demands.

A committee, consisting of Mr. Alport Barker, Mr. D. A. Butler, Mr. H. Cooper, and Dr. K. R. Steenson, has been appointed to deal with travel priority applications, and, in general, priorities will be allotted in the following order:— (1) Persons travelling on urgent busi ness connected with the war effort, (2) Persons travelling on urgent Government business. (3) Persons who are required to travel for urgent business or health reasons. (4) In appropriate cases, the families of persons in the above three categories and of Service personnel. (5) Persons wishing to travel to New Zea land to enter educational institutions there. (6) Persons wishing to visit close relations who are seriously ill. (7) Per sons who will not require return trans port to the Colony. (8) All other appli cations in order of booking.

Civilians wishing to travel will book their passages with the shipping com panies in the usual way; a priority appli cation form will be supplied at the ship ping office and should be filled in at the time of booking.

ANOTHER notice published at the end of January stated that civilian applications for passages in Service aircraft would in future require the approval of the Commander-in-Chief, South Pacific Area, and that this ap proval would be given only in cases

where the journey was in connection with the war effort and might be re garded as of extreme urgency, or in other exceptional circumstances.

Digitised by the National Library of Australia · OCR text via GLAM Workbench · uncorrected OCR, expect errors
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