institutional Changes:

Burns Report on institutional Changes: Garvey Critical

From R. W. Robson

LONDON, April 18. » one read the Burns Corn- Man’s Report on Fiji with livelier vest than Sir Ronald Garvey, : retired from the Fiji Governor and the Colonial Office service 3 958 and who, since retirement, Maken over the Governorship of Msle of Man for a few years. gwas Sir Ronald who, as soon as :tie took over Fiji in 1952, pressed Mr. Maurice Scott’s Legislative cicil resolution (demanding an iiry) upon the Colonial Office; it was he who kept reminding jtehall of the urgency of the Fiji Mem, until finally, in 1958, the

cis Commission was appointed

set to work. cDvernor Garvey’s hands were by these circumstances; but :.in the limits thus imposed on —for he could really do nothing . big way until the Commission reported—he did push on jrously with measures designed ring the administrative and land :.rol systems into line with pre -day needs. my request, he gave me his aments on the Report, for ication;

Garvey's Opinions

Apart from the recommendations Ihe Burns Report in relation to Native Lands Trust Board, and iremarks about constitutional ad ze, I can give my whole-hearted □ort to every one of the recom idations. !sut I do not agree with the brief arks made by the Commission paragraphs 157-161, wherein they ‘they do not consider that any ige in the constitutional posi is desired by more than a icrity of the population’. In fact, •ofoundly disagree, infer that the Commission have »n into the error of thinking ; public opinion should govern speed of the constitutional ad :ce. : believe this to be a profound >r, and the crux of a good deal he trouble we have experienced nany of our overseas territories; I fear that some day Fiji will er from the fact that Govern it has failed to retain the in ;ive which it now has in relation i to the development of the stitution. rhe day will come when public lion —possibly mostly Indian llic opinion—will be so strong i Government will be forced to pt a Constitution which will not in the best interests of the

Colony. I shall always remain con vinced that if we retain the in itiative in our hands we could make the development gradual, peaceful and effective.

Suggested It Himself

“Having said this I should go on to say that I entirely agree with the Commission that three of the five Fijian members should be elected by the Fijian male popula tion themselves. I made such a sug gestion to the Great Council of Chiefs quite a few years ago, but it fell on stony ground, chiefly be cause Sir Lala Sukuna was opposed to the development at that time.

“It is a fact that I do not entirely agree with all the remarks about

the Fijian administration. At the same time I should say that even before I left Fiji I had recognised the fact that the time had arrived to move in the direction of local government embracing all races.

Therefore, overall, I agree with the proposals which they make.

“As the recommendations which I endorse comprise at least 90 per cent, of the whole Report, I am prepared to shelve my own differ ences of view regarding the re mainder of the Report, “i think all the other recommen dations completely sound—and it is essential for the safety of the colony that the Report be accepted a s a whole, and implemented with the utmost speed, energy and good will.”