Discontent

Britain Rules but Australasians Pay the Taxes

Background Of Fiji Public Service

The European Civil Servants’ Association of Fiji, at the end ot August, replied fiercely to reports and decisions which followed the Carew Report.

r:E rather unusual socio-economic set-up in Fiji, where Britain administers a Colony wherein practically the whole of the Euro pean economy is owned by Aus tralia and New Zealand, is chiefly responsible for the public service discontent in Fiji, (Following Mr. W. D. Carew’s re view of salaries, there was an in vestigation by a Select Committee and consideration by the Legislative Council—the net result of which was that former leave privileges were rather drastically reduced, salaries were not markedly increased to meet new living costs, and a recommend ation that senior civil servants at least be paid an inducement allow ance, to keep them in the service, was rejected.) The Association strongly defends the Fiji Civil Service against certain arguments in the reports, and says that “some of the rather cowardly criticism of officers who are not per mitted to defend themselves has in furiated the whole service.” rPHIS is a situation in which the X Fiji public servants appear to have right on their side; but they are likely to be the victims of circumstances over which they have no control, and which have been ignored for far too long by the highest authorities.

The great majority of these men (and some women) have been brought to Fiji from other British territories—they are members of the British Colonial Service.

In the view of the British Colonial Office, Fiji is a tropical territory at the opposite end of the earth. Men and women who serve there have been, in the past, given special leave privileges—months off duty every two or three years; first-class fares for themselves and their families between Fiji and Britain; travelling time (representing many weeks on shipboard) not to count as part of leave; and so forth.

This has added to the cost of ad ministration. Fiji has become a country of high taxation. Fiji has been drifting towards trade deficits.

The principal taxpayers are the big Australian and New Zealand cor porations, and their staffs. Apart from the British Colonial Office people, practically the whole of the European personnel in Fiji comprises Australians and New Zealanders.

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Fiji is within the tropics—but it is a pleasant place in which to live, and very healthy.

Australians and New Zealanders employed by the big corporations in Fiji get only some of the tropical leave privileges hitherto granted the British public servants.

Naturally, Australian and New Zealand taxpayers in Fiji have been increasingly critical of some of the conditions (especially leave privileges) granted British Colonial Office personnel. That supplies most of the background of the present liveliness in discussion.

British public servants, accustomed to conditions in other distant British colonies, feel a keen sense of in justice. Australians and New Zealanders, accustomed already in their own countries to tropical and sub-tropical life, and only a few hours’ flying away from their home lands, anyway, have little sympathy with the British.

THERE is a problem here, and the solution is not in sight.

The Civil Servants’ Association says that, if conditions of service are not made more attractive, the quality of the service surely will deteriorate —and they probably are right.

The non-official section of the Legislative Council reflects the Fiji- Australasian viewpoint, which is certainly not that of London; and there is little likelihood of Service conditions being improved.

It is likely that the solution will come out of the developing political situation. Inevitably, within a very few years, Fiji will seek a much larger degree of self-government. If and when that comes, British per sonnel will tend to be replaced by people educated and trained in the South Pacific.

It is happening in other parts of the old British Empire, and it will not be long delayed here.

It may not be a change for the better The autocratic “remote control” which the British Colonial Office has exercised in Fiji for so many decades, probably was (and is) the only system which could have avoided racial and political trouble. Perhaps the British Colonial Office system (with its special privileges for

highly-trained personnel) has been

(and is) expensive; but it could be regarded as well worth while in view of the fact that Fiji, for so very long, despite its potentially explosive racial set-up. has enjoyed tran quillity, steady progress and much prosperity.

But the era is ending. All this two-ways bitterness in connection with public service conditions is an indication of it.