By Fish

Five Fijians Poison[?] By Fish

WHEN five Fijians died agonir. deaths at Beqa, Fiji, shoj after eating fish it was i lished that the fish had been can by the use of cyanide. This been denied by Government, wX states that they were killed use of an explosive.

The villagers had eaten a o munal meal of a small fish cs: daniva, on December 20. Many thi after became ill and a message ; sent to a native Assistant Meo; Practitioner, who ran two n through the rain to find the vili in distress, many people crying? in pain. He used morphine worked 24 hours without sleep, , or food. Four men and a girl ♦ but he managed to revive five otl: The Medical Department st; that a Fijian procured a quai. of fire crackers and made a ho made bomb with which he toJ the fish.

The dynamiting of fish has common in Fiji, and cyanide is; also being used in some parts,.; practice being to throw a bai cyanide into the middle of a I shoal of fish.

Daniva, states the Departmen known to be poisonous at cei; times of the year. It is know; be poisonous when the bololoJ sea worm) makes its annual n from the sea depths, but this ; for some reason, there was no rii It has also been stated that* daniva at times eats poisoc weeds on the reef, but the dco is a small fish which swims closk shore, and is not a reef fish.

The medical authorities didt consider a post-mortem necess This was unfortunate for no mr what was the cause of deatt would have been more satisfao and a safeguard for other Fix if it had been done. —Fiji C, spondent.