Brightening Prospects

Clouds Hover Over Fiji’s Brightening Prospects

By a Staff Writer

SUVA, July 1.

The most important single item of news in Fiji today is that all the sugar-mills are busily crushing a first-class crop of cane, and that all the folk who service the mills—especially the Indian growers and the mill-workers—are quiet and, it seems, industrially content.

THE most disconcerting thing is the announcement that the United States will not take from Fiji the 10,000 tons of sugar per annum, which Fiji thought had been sold, on a recurring basis. The lower House of Congress, it seems, proposes, but the much more powerful Senate dis poses.

But it is not a disaster. While the British Sugar Agreement lasts, Fiji probably can sell all the sugar it can produce. The politicians and the Common Market permitting, of course.

Fiji’s economic outlook has im proved, but it remains tinged with uncertainty. Ninety per cent, of Fiji’s economic woes today can be blamed upon the British Colonial Office ad ministration which dithered with the Colony’s major problems for two decades; but at least it can be said that the present generation of high officials is putting everything it knows into the task of making the archi pelago feed its rapidly-growing popu lation.

New Hope in Bananas That tireless man, Eric Bevington, who stepped from the Treasury into the Development Commissionership a few months ago, and now is the apex of a triangular structure which includes Development, Land Authority and industrial promotion, has just returned from visits to Japan, New Zealand and Samoa. There is nothing tangible to report, yet; but the talk is all of bananas. (See p. 21).

It is a pleasing nrospect—but at tended as usual by a cloud of un certainty—in this case, a meteoro logical cloud.

Two seasons now have passed with out a hurricane. Three years, free of these devastating winds, would be un precedented. A hurricane usually puts banana plantations out of action for at least a year. It could be that any contract with Japan would be dis located by a blow before it gets into gear.

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Fiji-Japan trade has been growing.

Japanese ships have been coming here for manganese and they have been bringing cargoes of Japanese cement, instead of coming empty. The huge new dock now being built here is based mainly on Jap cement. The new Fiji cement works are running only part-time.

The Japanese have been seeking markets for their manufactured goods throughout these Territories in recent years; and if Japan takes Fiji bananas, Japan will wish to pay in goods rather than in cash.

Suspicious Fijian Landowners

Some of us had expected the new Fiji Development organisation to make early, intimate contact with the Australian corporations which control so much of Fijian industry and goods distribution. Fiji wants capital in vestment, above everything—especi ally investment in Fiji of profits made in Fiji. But, so far, there seems to have been no contacts.

Meanwhile, there is much activity and planning by British-based cor porations financed by Colonial De velopment funds, in the disposal of which Mr. Bevington necessarily has an influential voice.

It could be that the best-laid plans of the Developers, which were re garded as an irresistible force, have met an immovable object in the land owning Fijians.

If there is to be large-scale develop ment, there must be large-scale land availability. And there is not.

On the contrary, the Fijian com munity is more than ever withdrawn, suspicious and non-co-operative. The events of the 1960-61 period, when the Indian cane-growers would not cut cane, and a section of the Indians indulged in vicious political snarling; and the continuing Indian birth-rate of well over 40 per thousand per annum (compared with the healthy Fijian rate of 30 per thousand)— these things have scared the Fijian

community into political immobility.

They will help to a degree in making their lands more productive; but they will do nothing to admit the swarm ing, eager Indians to permanent occu pation of the Fijian heritage.

Nothing is being said publicly. But it is easy to believe that this is the Developers’ Number One headache.

The Fijian Council of Chiefs has just commenced its two-yearly con ference. Political and economic affairs will bulk large in discussions, which are not open to the public.

The Developers, obviously, are awaiting some major Fijian decisions.

There is no reason for optimism.

This Council of Chiefs is conserva tive to the point of reaction. It was this body which killed the main recommendations of the Burns Com mission.

However, the over-all picture in Fiji is by no means depressing.

There are a lot of unemployed among the young Indians who have just finished school, and have nowhere to go; and this section could develop a nasty political edge.

Otherwise, everyone seems busy and content.

The appearance of more and more good hotels is definitely stimulating the tourist business, and it could be that this growing traffic soon will be come Fiji’s second industry—the best money-maker next to sugar.

Men with experience and vision have been begging the Government to make more funds available for pro motion of tourism.

British officialdom, however, is most sympathetic and helpful towards the new Fiji timber industry; and it is likely that a combination of Gov ernment and New Zealand private enterprise (Fletcher Timber interests) will bring in big export earnings from Fiji’s forests quite soon. That is an industry that was very strongly com mended by the Burns Commission.