Fiji Progress

Governor Outlines Impressive Programme

Prom Our Own Correspondent

Suva, Nov. 1.

rE eighth Session of this Council, and the sixth in Sir Alexander Gran tham’s term commenced with full ceremonial at 10 a.m. to-day.

The opening was well-staged and deeply impressive. Pageantry on important oc casions does us all good. mere was colour, outside, with the guard of honour from the Fiji Police Force, in their blue tunics and snow white sulus, qnd the reorganized band of the Fiji Military Forces, resplendent in meir scarlet tunics and equally spotless sulus. The bearing of all these attractive Fijians was superb. inside me dignified Council Chamber, the scene was bright with the scarlet rooes ui ine cnlei Justice (Sir Claud Seton ivx.CJ and the Puisne Judge (Mr. Justice Thomson), the glitter of silver and gold braid on the uniforms of many of the official members, and the frocks of the ladies. The gallery was packed.

Before the Governor addressed the Council, he presented the King’s Police Medal to Mr. I. E. Lucchinelli, Deputy Commissioner of Police, who is Known to the law-abiding public as a keen and needle-snarp officer.

Highlights from His Excelleny’s address were: The Colony’s Ten-Years Development Plan is to cost £4,500,000 —maybe more.

The Imperial Government is finding £1,000,000 sterling of this, and the financ ing of the balance will fully tax our re sources.

The Suva medical centre and hospital project, once estimated to cost a good round million in Fiji currency, is in the balance again. The whole proposal is oemg re-examined with the idea that it might be possible to expand the existing Colonial War Memorial Hospital on an adjacent site at considerably lower cost.

“The existing equipment of the Public Works Department is inadequate for the work they have to do at present.” It ap pears essential for the Department to pur chase a considerable amount of new plant otherwise the number of large projects already planned cannot be tackled.

For next year, the basis of taxation will not be altered.

The following were the estimates for 1946, and how they worked out; Approved Revenue £1.572,901 • Expenditure £1,645,504 Deficit £72,603 Revised Revenue £1.976,941 Expenditure £1,949,447 Surplus £27,494

rpHE principal windfalls were a customs JL increase of £150,000 and £54,000 more from income tax and trading licenses than was budgeted for.

For 1947, a surplus of £73,439 is bud geted for. Revenue is put at £1,847,702 and expenditure at £1,774,263.

The Redemption Loan of £530,000 at 31 per cent., floated locally a few months ago, flopped badly. “Only £219,200 was sub scribed, leaving £310,800 in the hands of the underwriters,” said His Excellency.

The balance will have to be raised in Lon don.

In relation to Public Service salaries revision, the Committee voted rises all round to civil servants and the abolition of the senior and junior divisions Government support is to be gradually withdrawn from mission schools, and all lay teachers are to be Government ser vants.

Indians are to have the same rights re garding alcoholic liquor as Europeans and Chinese —Fijian natives are to remain prohibited.

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Definition of Native Lands Reserves is to be speeded up.

The Governer’s speech covered prob ably the widest field of many years and showed that the Administration is on its toes. Its popular reception was excellent.

Financial Statement rE Government had no need to worry about vote-catching when it produced its Budget. So its cheerful optimism was related only to its estimate of the facts and the scope of its imaginative ability.

There have been the usual critics of the official financial hopes for 1947. Those critics are only backing their own guess work, and they have not much data to work on. Still, life would be quiet here if no one were prepared to take up the cudgels for the taxpayer.

“Once again the amount to be approp riated is a record figure; we are now ap proaching the £2,000.000 mark both in rev enue and expenditure,” said the Acting Financial Secretary (Mr. P. H. Nightin gale) when moving the second reading of the Appropriation Bill at yesterday’s Leg islative Council. The estimated expend iture is £1,774,263 for the Calendar year 1947.

Points from the Acting Financial Sec retary’s statement are; £25.000 was provided to cover the cost of sending Fiji’s Victory Contingent to London, on the assumption that Fiji would bear the full cost-of return passages.

This responsibility was, however taken over by the Imperial Treasury, and the cost to Fiji therefore may not exceed £9.000. , .

Total expenditure on defence and the

Fiji Military Forces between 1942 and 1945, amounted to £4,263,259. Recoveries under various heads were £398,596, so net expen diture was £3,864,663. Of this amount the Colony, from its own revenues, sup plied £1,562,816. The balance, £2,301,847, is owed to Britain. To this debt is added £768,270, deferred settlement claims due to New Zealand, The Public Debt is nearly £1,140,000, on which interest and sinking fund contrib utions come to £89,000.

Expenditure on salaries and allowances, including cost of living bonus, will total approximately £519,000 —£41,000 more than 1946. This covers an establishment of 1,990 officers as compared with 1,843 in 1946 an increase of 147. This increase is mainly in Agricultural. Education. Medical and Works Departments.

An analysis of exnenditure of 1946 and 1947 under the five headings of Personal Emoluments, Departmental Charges (Other Charges), Special Expenditure (including Defence), Charges on account of Public Debt, and Pensions is interest ing:

Economic controls are now reduced to Imports, and Prices. Subsidies on flour and sharps will continue. It has again been necessary to provide a token vote of £55,000 to cover Fiji’s share of the met eorological services operating in this area until the position regarding Pacific air services is clearer.

Mr. “Scotty" McEwan, baker, of Lae, New Guinea, who was so badly Injured on September 2 when a guria 'shook his new oven down on ton of him (he was making adjustments underneath it at the time) is still in the Scottish Hospital, Sydney. His health and spirits are good, and he can receive visitors; but it is not possible yet to assess the amount of permanent damage done by the accident.

1946 1947 (In thous.) £ £ Personal Emoluments .. .. 478 519 Departmental Charges . .. 683 719 Special Expenditure ... 293 363 Public Debt 108 89 Pensions 83 84 Totals £1,645 £1,774