Fijians And

Indians

How Should They Be Represented At SP Conference?

From Our Own Correspondent

Suva, Dec. 19.

WHEN the Government produced a panel of three Fijian and three Indian members of the Legislative Council, from which the Council was to select one Fijian and one Indian delegate to represent Fiji at the South Pacific Conference at Suva in April, it touched off one of the sharpest divisions of opinion in the Council’s Budget session.

Despite a statement by the Governor (Sir Brian Freeston) that, as the Fijians and the Indians were the largest racial units, it had been decided to appoint one Fijian and one Indian delegate, and ob servers, from those races, Ratu Edward Cakobau opposed the motion approving the panel, on the ground that if Euro peans were to be excluded Indians should also be excluded.

One Indian delegate could not be of help to the South Pacific Islands repre sentatives, said Ratu Edward; and, if the South Pacific Commission thought otherwise, the Commission probably had not realised that Fiji possessed a plural society.

Other Fijian members expressed sur prise at the inclusion of Indian repre sentatives, while excluding Europeans.

Mr. A. A. Ragg said that the panel was part of “the discrimination appearing on every hand against the Europeans”; and Mr. F. G. Archibald said that racial rights appeared to have been glossed over in favour of other political considerations.

Indian statements did not refer to the Fijians’ expressions of displeasure, but suggested that the Europeans ought to accept the contention that all races now were part and parcel of Fiji.

In an uncomfortably thundery atmos phere the motion was put through on the voices, the official majority making its adoption inevitable.