Problem
p. 49 · Read in the full issue
Fiji’S Thorniest
Indian Increase and Titles To Native Lands
Letter io the Editor THE Governor’s warning to the Indians that their rate of natural increase, under present conditions, must pre sently create a situation acutely em barrassing both to the Government and the Indian community, was timely. But, as was to be expected, it has been ignored by the Indians.
The Indian breeds for the sake of breed ing, and does not worry about whether the future holds starvation or not. Also, he is tax-free after he has acquired five children and, in his estimation, the quicker he has five children the better.
This exemption from taxation should be abolished.
The enforcement of the new Native Re serves Arrangement is causing much com ment among the Indians, who now have discovered that the Fijians actually are the owners of the land and consequently their landlords. Previously, they looked upon the Fijian as a jungleman, and not as their landlord. The Fijian is now claiming what is his.
In past years, the Indian “picked the eyes out of the land,” and had survey lines run to his pleasure and did not consider the Fijian owner. The hill-lands were left out, unsurveyed. Consequently, the Indian has had free grazing land for his cattle. He even removed survey pegs to enlarge his holding—why the Director of Lands in past years allowed such surveys cannot at this time be understood.
Consequently, since the NLTB came into existence all this land-roguery, corrup tion and perfidy is a thing of the past, and all our thanks are due to Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna, who is to be highly com mended on such a masterpiece of legisla tion. I believe that he has assured to his people the undisputed ownership of their lands, giving to them opportunities to share in the wealth acquired from their lands, which formerly went elsewhere.
This, of course, is not appreciated by the Indian, who naturally considers he is ill-treated. Therefore, he is circulating all kinds of rumours—one of which is that he has been advised not to plant cane this season. The average Indian always has had and always will have grievances of some description.
The Fijian of to-day is not as the Fijian of 25 years ago. He now realises the value of his land. He has at last discovered that it pays him to farm and cultivate his land, rather than lease or let it for a few shillings per acre. Some Fijians are be coming large growers of padi-rice as well as cane-farmers. Of course, as in all races there are a few sluggards, who would rather be drones than workers: but on the whole, in my opinion, the Fijian is fast becoming a factor in his own country and in a few years he will be an employer instead of an employee.
The Indian has had his day. In the past he has had all he asked for. He has been nursed, coddled and spoon-fed by a benevolent British Government; and for all that he showed his ingratitude by his disloyalty during the late war. Grati tude is unknown amongst the majority of Indians. They do not show it even to their parents or women-folk. But bribing and corruption they do understand and some of them thrive upon it. But thanks to Ratu Sir Lala and his NLTB, land trafficking is practically abolished— although some corruption and bribery will creep in, unfortunately.
I am, etc.,
Fiji, 24/11/49.
Old Resident.
The bodies of fourteen New Caledonian volunteers who died overseas during World War II are to be exhumed for re burial in the Colony, at the request of their families. The names of these honoured dead are Pierre Charpentier and Victor Bernut (buried at Bir Hachiem), Edouard Paulin (at Meknes, Morocco), Raymond Chautard (Tobruk), Jean Gouassem and Charles Lechanteur (in Italy), Louis Cheval (at Marseilles), Jean Barthe (at Cairo), Gustave Gozem nos and Antoine Brinon (at El Alamein), Georges Lecarrour, Alexandre Reveillon and Charles Porcheron (at Hyeres), and Edouard Schmidt.