Mr. P. Costello for Executive Council

Executive Council

From Our Own Correspondent SUVA, June 19

Mr. Patrick Costello, Who Is

perhaps the Colony’s best-known and least-conventional business man, has been appointed to the Fiji Ex ecutive Council in succession to Mr. F. L.

Smith, of the Bank of New Zealand, who has left the Colony. The appoint ment is a popular one.

Mr. Costello, who is an Australian, came to Fiji in 1909 as a shipping clerk for the local branch of the AUSN Co. The following year he joined the firm of Arthur Joske Ltd., as an auctioneer; but by 1912 he was in business for himself as a hotel-keeper at Lautoka. His hotel property there was in more recent years, acquired by Northern Hotels Ltd.

He was closely associated with the foundation of the Rewa Co-operative Dairy Company and, later, with the de velopment of the gold mines at Vatu koula.

The discoverer of gold in the Tavua area, Mr. W. Borthwick, was financed by Mr. Costello in the prospecting venture which resulted in the original find, and it was Mr. Costello’s strong and persis tent advocacy that was responsible for

Mr. E. G. Theodore and his associates be coming interested in the development of the field.

Mr. Costello has wide business and prop erty interests in the Colony and he has served on many official and semi'official committees. He was for seven years a member of the Suva Town Board and earlier, was a member of the Local Authority and the Road Board at Lau toka.