They’re Not Enthusiastic

Sugar Company's Fate May Be Known Soon

They’re Not Enthusiastic At Nausori

From J. P. Shortall, in Suva

A lei for the chairman was left in its box, and a hoped-for : sale of shares did not eventuate, at an open air public ting called by the Fiji Sugar Milling Co. Ltd. at Nausori Saturday morning in October.

le, in fact, was feeling very py about the company’s out ;, though chairman Vishnu i Mr. A. I. N. Deoki, speak upport of the establishment w sugar mill to replace the ill, both strongly urged the to press on with the pro i to demonstrate their sup buying more shares—four least. of the 1,000-odd persons made any immediate pur nd some were openly critical, most merely listened to the tions of the present situa de by the principal speakers, lain fact is that while almost farmers want to continue gar, there is just not the n sight to establish a mill. ;ompany’s shares are worth vhich one quarter has to be on application. It was tly expected, or at least hat sufficient could be sold enough money would be on ter the second call to per itart to be made with the e two final payments would made in the form of funds ;k from the proceeds of the ?ar produced.

Need £200,000

:ual fact something a little s of 4,000 shares have been for, yielding a down pay l £25,000, or a little more, ig to Mr. Vishnu Deo, a

minimum of £200,000 would have to be found locally before a mill could be erected. He appealed to Nausori business interests to buck up and help the new venture, as they, as well as the farmers, would be affected by the closure of the sugar industry, he said.

Mr. Deoki said that he was pre pared to assist the venture in every way possible. He considered that the government should help by making available the accrued sugar stabilisation fund.

He said that the five Indian mem bers of Legco had approached the Financial Secretary on this subject but had not been successful. Mr.

Deoki said that he intended to call a meeting of Rewa Valley cane farmers soon to discuss the matter of this fund.

While Mr. Deoki was speaking there was an interjection from a man in the crowd, Mr. Lala Tota Ram, who was allowed to express his views at some length.

Mr. Tota Ram said that for months past the farmers and share holders had been hearing that the company still had no money. What was the use of seeking it from the farmers, he said? They had no money.

Get The Big Firms

It was, he said, necessary to per suade the big Indian business firms

(Continued on page 22, column 1)

The Nausori sugar men on the stage—the Hon.

Vishnu Deo in the centre —peer out into the audience at the Nausori meeting as an inter jector has his say.

to come in. That was where the money lay. But before they would be persuaded it would be necessary for the company to change its directors “so that some good people could be included”.

He said that the new company was going to have a tough job in “fighting the CSR and the govern ment” for the establishment of this mill.

Mr. Vishnu Deo replied: “We have no enmity with the CSR, nor are we fighting them or the gov ernment.”

He said the CSR was closing its Nausori mill on its own initiative.

It had been asked to continue for another five years, but had declined to do so.

He was convinced that no crop could yield as much for the Rewa farmers as sugarcane. The Navua farmers who had abandoned cane for rice years ago were still suffer ing as a result. He again urged the maximum support and sacrifice by the farmers in raising the funds.

Mr. K. B. Singh also spoke of the approach to the CSR to carry on the mill for another five years, and of an approch by represent atives of the three farmers’ unions in the district to Sir Ronald Garvey, the previous Governor, about gov ernment support. Sir Ronald had said that he could not give his sup port to a continuing sugar industry in the Rewa Valley.

Some Decisions Soon Mr. K. B. Singh said that the time was fast approaching when some important decisions would have to be made. The farmers were seek ing advice on what to do regarding their plantings. They must know when the mill would be ready. It could not be ready before 1961, meanwhile the farmers must live.

He would not advise them what to do. If he advised them to plant rice people would say that he was obstructing the sugar mill project.

It was up to the farmers’ unions to reach these decisions.

(Continued on page 144)

Mr. Singh said that some i were asking what would happ the first instalment of their money if they were unable tc the second instalment when ■ upon. In his view they would f the first instalment, which simply become part of the pany’s assets.

Another speaker in the c Mr. Shri Ram Sharma, t thumbs down on calling in tl Gujerati merchants. When die ever help the farmers, he w to know? They had the mone; but they’d probably finish up the farmers’ money, too, if thej invited to contribute! No, keep out; let the farmers stand on own feet.

That outburst brought a “aye! aye!” but generally spe the audience merely listene tentively and wore a thoughtf pression.

The meeting broke up w any motions being put—eitf confidence or no confidence i directors, or concerning f action in the sale of shares.

Before financial support c expected from overseas it is that a bare minimum of £! in hard cash must be founc unless the government is pn to release some of the sugar isation fund for this purpose, seems most unlikely, or unles; business interests can be pen to buy shares, the outlook f new mill seemed, at the e October, less than bright.