Chiefs

Power Of The Fiji

Letter to the Editor AN insight into native enterprise and its sidelights may be gained to-day by a visit to the districts where, offi cially, the natives are handling their own commercial affairs.

Ostensibly, the natives are doing re markably well; but, on closer observation, it is found that the only ones profiting from the scheme are the chiefs, who have discovered in it an ideal method of ex ploiting their people—not legally, but with impunity, as no reports of embezzlement are made.

The reaction of the people to the chiefs’ monopolies could well be under stood by following the affairs of a certain outside copra-buyer. This buyer, a native and representing a certain firm, went to a certain village at the invitation of a few desperate members of the village. The village was on the verge of starvation, as a result of the district house-building campaign, wherein all able-bodied men are compelled to build houses in a certain village—where they build a little, and feast and frolic a lot at the expense of the villagers.

The village in question had just been the victim of such an ordeal and the de pletion of the food crop and the chief’s village store was the result.

The interested firm had already made arrangements to replenish a private store in the village and offered to buy any copra available. The chief’s store, by the way, was supplied through the Govern ment, hence the lack of supplies. How ever, on the arrival of the copra-buyer, the chief called the village council to gether and told them he would buy their copra at a certain price (much below the copra buyer’s price) and not to sell to the outsider. There was a surplus of over £lOO in the village store’s fund, and not until the people sought outside help could he think of parting with any of it. Of course, they knew he would always take their copra; but, like all human beings, they liked being paid for what was theirs.

Naturally his wishes were acceded to in the council, irrespective of their indi vidual feelings. The village parson, and another strong-minded man of the vil lage, sold their copra according to their discretion but the rest sought the copra

buyer in the night, so it would not be known. Until 3 a.m., the buyer was creep ing around dark corners in the village with copra owners, to indulge in the clan destine practice of buying copra in modern Fiji.

Many of the sellers asserted that their fear was not only of the chief, but that they had heard that a certain man. a few villages away, had been recently served with a summons for selling his . copra outside the village, and they were afraid.

Their need of food was so great that they were taking the risk —but, please, would the copra-buyer say nothing about their action!

This incident occurred five days ago and is typical of what is happening in “controlled” Fijian areas. The Fijians have no conception of democracy, or of their rights as British subjects, and the present native policy is playing them right into the hands of autocratic chief control, as bad, or worse, than before Cession.

The deplorable part is that the whole

scheme is sponsored by the Government, which proudly imagines it is all accord ing to the will of the people. It is a de velopment that is not good for the Fijian people.

I am, etc.,

North-West.

Fiji, 27/10/49.

Mrs. G. Whittaker, of Lae, New Guinea, was visiting relatives in Cairns (Q.), in January.