Indians Over-Running Residential Areas

In Suva

(Contributed by a Suva Resident)

EVEN a few years prior to the outbreak of war, it would not have been too late for the Fiji Government to have drawn up a plan, setting aside certain residential areas in and around Suva for European resfdents only.

Government servants, lucky enough to live in Government-owned houses, do not have the headaches and heartaches that beset the average European resident, who considers himself extremely lucky if he can rent a decent house close to his place of work, since Government has more or less reserved to itself that area in Suva known as “Dog’s Hind Leg” and the site of the “old hospital” at Korovou Government, too, was firmly convinced of the wisdom of keeping “Suva Point” residential area solely for Europeans.

The majority of the Europeans in and around ‘Suva proper, who intended to make Fiji their permanent home, bought freehold land and erected good types of homes amongst other Europeans/ Their homes showed the result of pride and labour, with well-laid-out lawns and gardens.

However, in the last three years, many of these fine homes have changed over to Indians, who sat back and accumulated money hand over fist from 1939 to 1946 and contributed nothing to speak of to the war effort or funds, while the Euro pean, Euronesian and Fijian gave their all in the way of war service, and very often paid the supreme sacrifice.

Now, we see Waimanu Road, from the “Waverley” up to Tamavua police station —which comprised all European homes a few years ago, and which is an area overlooking the harbour of Suva —practically in the hands of the Indians.

The deterioration will not be very noticeable for a year or so, if the houses are rented to Europeans; but, as time goes on, the “dry rot” will begin to show

in unpainted shabby houses, because it seems never to occur to an Indian to paint his house.

God help the place if the Indian him self goes to live in the houses! Then we can look forward to seeing the inevit able goat tethered on what was once the well-cut front lawn, and the usual batch of scraggy inbred fowls roosting along the front verandah of curtainless houses, emitting the odour always associated with the Indian—mustard oil and strong curry. Dirty, half-clad children will make the day and half the night hideous with their shrill voices, and at certain times of the year, we shall have the beat of the Indian drum.

Those Europeans who have still held on . "heir homes, will find themselves un willingly forced to sell and remove them selves to an area less attractive, which will not appeal to the Indians No price is too high to ask for free hold property in and about Suva to-dav.

I wonder some “confidence man” has not sold the Government buildings!

IT is to be hoped that when the Govern ment authorities for the planning of new townships in other parts of Viti Levu finalise their schemes, they will de clare a radius around such centres for European residential sites only.

Some of the most beautiful parts of the Suva town area are despoiled by tin shanties and straggling, unpainted hovels among which Indian washerwomen’, storekeepers and anything you like, ex tract the utmost profit. . Segregation of the Indian, when the indenture system was mistakenly abolished and the Indian allowed to quietly spread amongst us like a cancer, would have solved a lot of policing that now has to be scattered everywhere It could have been done then, before we “ loc al-born,” with his again the Government” attitude; and Europeans to-day would have their homes mvioiate, surrounded with people of their own standards of culture and outlook.

Genera! Smuts, of South Africa, has the right idea. He is conscious of the in filtration of the Indians, and is nipping it before it comes into full bloom.