‘Progress’!

Beware of This

History of a Little Town in Fiji

SAVUSAVU has a Progress Asso ciation; and the measure of its worth should be reflected in the progress the district is making. Let us have a look at this progress.

Twenty-five years ago I attended a small party at the home of the District Commissioner; and, among my shell-jacketed fellow-guests were the District Medical Officer, the Inspector of Police, the Post master-cum-Wireless Operator, and the Sub-Accountant. The medical man had qualified in Edinburgh, with experience at Guy’s and specialised in tropical medicine. He was quite a surgeon, too; and his morning-after powders were wiz ardry.

The Inspector of Police looked after what little crime there was in an efficient and unobtrusive manner. In those days an Inspec tor was quite a personage. To-day with Pur hosts of Superintendents, Acting-Superintendents and As sistant Superintendents, the rank of Inspector is rather a lowly one.

Still, our Inspector in those days was a man of tact, with a sense of proportion and a degree of balance.

Our communications were in charge of the Wireless man, certi fied as being competent by the Aus tralian authorities, and very com petent in his line The years rolled on, and “pro gress” set in. Let’s have a look at the town now.

THERE is no District Com missioner or District Officer — which may only prove that they were redundant years ago.

The District Commissioner Northern comes along periodically and holds Court, dealing with debtors, drunks and drivers, and then hies himself back to Labasa.

The health of the district is now in the hands of a couple of As sistant Medical Practitioners, smart chaps trained at the famed Central Medical School at Suva and possessing quite a supply of aspirin and anti-diarrhoea tablets. They are Fijians, of course, and willing to give anything a go. Who wants to get sick, anyway? And, if you do, there is of course quite a decent air service to Suva, where one can go into the Colonial War Memorial Hospital—if strong enough to get through the throng of free patients waiting there.

Our hospital, where once trod "a neatly-unformed nursing sister, now does very well, thank you, with a staff of native nurses. There is, in addition, a Health Sister whose

work takes her into all parts of the area. The hospital does not carry the neat and clean appearance of yesteryear; but you can be assured that only the best of nursing is practised therein.

Where does that take us in this parade of progress? Oh, yes, the law enforcement officers!

There is now no European Police Officer—there is not enough work, and the quarters in Suva are much more comfortable. There are a number of native constables commanded by a sergeant. The present incumbent of this office becomes at times very conscious of the importance of his station. Pie knows all there is to know about measuring roads after accidents, and Keeping an eye on the pub. „ . , r .

Tramed in Suva, these men are very efficient and could easily catch a burglar if you told them who he was. Sometimes one might think they were trained in Hong Kong, so profound is their knowledge of cumshaw.

Quite recently, these knowledgeable lads bundled a young man into a taxi and took him to the lock-up.

The fact that the young man had been lying unconscious on the roadway for over half an hour, following a motor accident, did not really matter, as he recovered alright.

That proved that he had had no internal injuries at the time, so that the quarter of an hour which it would have taken to get a doctor

would have been so much wasted time. In any case, as one of the constables explained rather testily to a bystander who suggested a doctor before moving the victim “He was driving the car; he is the cause of the accident.”

/Communications? A Tele

? native operator. . The majestic aerial system gone, of course. The transmit aerial was laid low during a storm some time ago, and was tem poranly made fast to a nearby tree, d ,9 es g° od service, T i l6S f natlv ? operators are very good, too, and errors, though fre- Quent, *9, a lack of the finer P°mts of the English language are seldom serious. I did get a tele gram recently asking for the ex planation of an engine part, instead 0 f specification, but one can’t really expect these lads to spell big word " i lke that. A short time ago, when i was flying to savusavu from Labasa, I sent my wife a telegram so that my boat CO uld meet me. I sent: “Savusavu one to-day.” She received: “Savusavu one day.”

The gem of the lot, though (al though Savusavu is not involved but which I cannot resist bringing in) was a cable which arrived in Suva reading; “Voyage Wallis im possible.” Entrusted to our stout telegraph service, and in the course of two handlings from Suva to Nau sori to Nailili, the message arrived: “Boy Wallace in hospital.” See

what I mean, in relation to pro gress !

The Court-house is now presided oyer by an Indian clerk. Very effi ciently, too, although last year there was a hitch due to inefficiency in Suva, whereby the Savusavu Court house was unable to supply a sum mons form for just over three months.

I understand they are knocking

the wharf down now, preparatory to extending it. That should not put it out of action for more than a year or two, and is vitally necessary.

Apart from this Government con trol, and whilst on the subject of praise for a modern and efficiently run station, do not let us forget the town itself. The butchery has folded up, and an amateur butcher kills once a week. The pub will sup ply you with good whisky at about 37 6 a bottle, and a lunch of de licious tinned pilchards for five bob.

I don’t live in Savusavu (did you hear me thank the Deity?) but I have business there, and I like the town. That is why I am concerned about this perilous progress; it cculd so easily wreck the place, or something.—“Y.”