Fiji's "Acting"

Officials

Colonial Office "General Post"

Leaves Many Vacancies

From Our Own Correspondent

Suva, Mav 19

NO announcement has yet been made at this writing in respect of the ap pointment of a successor to Sir Alex ander Grantham, formerly governor of Fiji and now Governor-elect of Hong- Kong. Sir Alexander left the Colony for London in March.

The Acting Governor of Fiji (Mr. J. F.

Nicoll), who is normally the Colony’s Colonial Secretary, returned to Suva on May 15, after making a tour of inspection of the western districts of Viti Levu.

Since Sir Alexander left, Mr. Nicoll has visited the eastern and southern islands of the Group also.

These visits to the outlying parts of the Colony are valuable in that they meet the constant wail that there is too much centralisation in the Colony and that the higher officials think too much in terms of Suva. But when the Acting Governor made his second tour some people in Suva began to feel aggrieved about “official jaunts away from the seat of Govern ment”. Thus it becomes plain that there is no pleasing everybody.

At the moment, however, the number of Fiji officials in an “acting” capacity is phenomenal. Because the appointment of a new Governor has not been an nounced the Colonial Secretary has be come Acting Governor, the Financial Secretary has become Acting Colonial Secretary and, at times, deputy to the Acting Governor, and there is also an Acting Assistant Colonial Secretary and an Acting Director (with an Acting Dep uty Director) of Medical Services.