'Another Fiji’

Tragic Story of Mauritius

THE opening of the new direct air service between Australia and South Africa, via the Indian Ocean slands, has brought Mauritius under mblic notice lately. The planes nake an overnight stop at the is ands.

Mauritius has been compared with ? iji, The economy of both islands j based on sugar. In both places, odians provide labourers, artisans nd shopkeepers. In both British !olonies there is an acute political ituation, caused by the extraordin ry speed with which the Indians re increasing, and their tendency > get possession of all commerce ad land. The population of the vo countries compare thus: Mauritius Fiji European 12,000 10,000 Indigenous 130,000 Indians 140,000 Chinese 3,000 Total 450,000 273,000 The chief difference between the jo countries lies in the indigenous jpulation. In Fiji, there is a virile id homogeneous native community, id the British are pledged to the election of its land rights. In Mau ius there is what is called a Creole immunity—a fusion or the original rab adventurers, with subsequent cursions of Portuguese, Dutch, •ench and English. But these ople seem to have no fundamental »hts, and it is generally assumed at, in a generation or two, the In ans will be completely in posses m. As in Fiji, the Indians were troduced into Mauritius by the itish as sugar plantation labourers.

An Australian journalist says that ; Europeans in Mauritius sit with Ided hands, passively awaiting the y when India will take over.