Fijian Bravery Receives

Government Praise

Well-earned letters of commenda tion have been sent by the Gov ernment of Fiji to seven Fijians who ’ helped to rescue a woman and her baby from drowning.

Through the prompt action of the Fijians, the mother, Mrs. Mary Walker, and her 22-months-old daughter, Kerry, were rescued from a car which plunged into a river form a road bridge at Lami, near iSuva, last November. The car, driven by her husband, Mr. Barry Walker, had skidded on the bridge.

As the car slowly sank in 14 feet 1 of murky water, Mr. Walker escaped through the driver’s open window.

He hauled his small son, Michael, to safety by dragging him out of the car by his foot.

Four Fijians who raced to the scene dived into the river and went underwater several times to try to reach the mother and child who ’ were trapped in the back seat. Three * of them failed to get inside the car.

The fourth man, Kisitino Kele, a 49-years-old carpenter swam into the front of the car but found it empty. After surfacing for breath he went down into the dark, muddy water again. Groping in the murk for the handle of the back door of the car, he managed to wrench it i open. He grasped the mother who ’ was holding the child and brought f both of them to the surface where • other rescuers helped them into a i boat. They had been able to breathe : foi a time in a small pocket of ! : air left in the roof of the car.

The system is fairly complicated, but it has appeared to work reason ably well. A good many newcomers who have got settled jobs have stayed on, some with benefit of per mits and some without.

Suddenly, last year, the police took action against one or two of these technically illegal residents, charged them with re maining in Fiji without a permit, and sought authority to have them deported.

Suspicion grew that the action was the result, at least partly, of personal rather than public con siderations and that the police were setting themselves up as a court of private behaviour.

Men working for the same con cerns were treated differently, one man being brought into court while the permitless condition of others was ignored.

Then the twelve months’ absence question was raised. One prominent Indian business-man was granted, without question, permission to go away for an extended holiday without endangering his residential rights.

Another, owner of a large house in Suva and managing director of a leading trading and manufactur ing concern, was told that if he did not get back within 12 months from a proposed business and holiday trip he would lose his status as a permanent resident.

Court proceedings in this and other cases disclosed some curious features of the law. It could be argued, for instance, that a person born in Fiji could not be stopped from entering the country, but he must have the permission of the Principal Immigration Officer to reside.

If a permit were refused, the man could be deported from his native land. He could then demand the right to re-enter and this could not be refused. But permisison to reside could again be denied, and out he would have to go again on a sense less legal roundabout.

Cane Economics

and the Rewa The Rewa Valley, which has for years been devoted mainly to the growing of cane for the Nausori sugar mill, has become a political battleground with a good many farmers likely to be the losers.

The Colonial Sugar Refining Company have found the Nausori mill uneconomic. It is in the wet zone of Viti Levu and the sugar content of the cane is generally lower than that of the cane grown in the drier areas of the nortn- Fiji has an assured market, and a marketing quota under the Inter national Sugar Agreement, of just under 200,000 tons of sugar in I9bu.

The mills in the dry zone can pro duce this amount, and more. This

; might not have been the case a : few years ago, but the introduction i of new hybrid varieties by the • CSR Co. has transformed the i situation.

Because of these varieties, all ■ production records were broken in 1958, although in many of the cane ; areas there had been both pro longed drought and heavy floods • during the year. All indications are that 1959, and subsequent seasons, will yield crops of a size hitherto

thought impossible.

So even without Nausori’s contri bution there is a danger of over production, with all problems that this involves.

From the overall viewpoint of the ; sugar industry and of the farmers who want to be able to sell all the sugar they grow, there is, therefore, wisdom in the decision to close the Nausori mill.

The company gave three years notice of their intention, and have, with the Government, since spent a great deal of time and money try ing out alternative crops and help ing to smooth the way for a change-over by farmers to the new conditions.

The company’s policy has been enlightened and its actions gener ous, but there is by no means uni versal appreciation.

Farmers who have grown cane all their lives want to stick to cane and they close their ears to arguments about economics and marketing.

They have been encouraged by a group, led by veteran politician Vishnu Deo, who claim that they can finance, build and run a co operative mill at Nausori, and can market the sugar produced.

A company has been formed and subscriptions invited. There has been correspondence with German and Japanese makers of milling machinery, but that, so far as the general public knows, is the extent of the detailed planning to date.

The CSR mill closes at the end of 1959, and no new or ratoon cane grown from now on will be able to be sold to the company.

If the proposed new mill is not a going concern by the beginning of the 1960 season, with markets arranged, the promoters will carry a heavy burden of responsibility for the situation of farmers who have been induced to stick to cane in stead of seeking alternative crops.

The Most Rev. Daniel Stuyven berg, SM, has been named Vicar Apostolic of the South Solomons in succession to Bishop Aubin, who re cently retired. * Bishop Stuyvenberg was born in Holland in 1909, trained for the priesthood in Belgium, and upon his ordination in 1936 was appointed to the Solomons, where he has served ever since. He speaks English, Dutch, French and several Solomons dialects.