Report For 1949

Fiji Statistics in Attractive Form

FOR the second year the Colony of Fiji has issued its Annual Report (it covers the year 1949), as an attrac tive book.

The 100 pages contain a wealth of in formation and statistics on all aspects of life in the Colony. Chapters cover popu lation, occupation, wages, finance and tax ation, currency and banking, commerce, social services, legislation, justice, public works, communications, development, climate, history, geography, etc.

There is an excellent index, a coloured folding map of the Colony and numerous photographs.

Two interesting points from the Report cover population and cost-of-living figures.

It is estimated, says the report, that at the time of Cession (1874), there were about 200,000 Fijians. Following Cession came the introduction of European dis eases to which the Fijians had no im munity, and measles and other epidemics took severe toll until in 1905 there were only 87,000 natives. The population re mained stationary for the next 12 years and then began a small increase but hardly had that trend manifested itself when the disastrous influenza epidemic of 1919 reduced the Fijian population to an all-time low of 83,000. From that time, however, the increase has been steadv and by 1949 there were 126,650 Fijians—4s per cent, of the total population of the Colony, There were 43,000 Indians in the Colony in 1911; by 1936 there were 85,000 and by 1949 nearly 134,000 or 47 per cent, of the whole Fiji population. In 1945 the Indians outnumbered the Fijians for the first time. It is estimated that at the present rate of increase there will be 250,000 In dians in Fiji by 1967 but that the Fijians will not reach that figure until 1980.

The Indians have a higher birth rate and a lower death rate than the Fiiians but this does not account wholly for the ascendency of the Indian over the Fijian population. Other contributing factors are thought to be: Indian people are more fertile than the Fijians; Indian women bear children at an earlier age than do Fijian women; and Indian women apparently give birth to a higher propor tion of female children than do Fijian women,

Cost Of Living

IT is stated that the cost of living in dexes remained stationary during the year—which in these times of spirall ing costs is a matter for jubilation. It will be interesting to see, however, if the same can be said of the year 1950 or whether Fiji will be caught up in the balloon of inflation that is taking Aus tralian living costs up into the strato sphere. Fiji depends for 30 per cent, of its imports upon Australia.

Although the Colony has very little direct interest in Australian wool, the bloated Australian wool-industry is hav ing repercussions throughout the whole of the Australian economy with the cost of all goods and services mounting steadily from day to in turn affects the living costs of those Pacific territories de pendent upon Australian imports.

A few years ago it would have been impossible to convince any Australian that high prices for wool would be regarded as a national calamity. Yet that is how they are regarded by the majority of Aus tralians, to-day.

Various remedies (most of which con sist of taking some of his increased in come off the wool-grower) are being dis cussed currently in Australia, in official and unofficial circles. All schemes so far

discussed, however, are as unpopular with the wool-growers as the proposed export tax on Fiji copra was with Fiji copra producers—and for the same reasons.