Australia Will Take More

Uncertainties For New Governor: Australia Will Take More Interest In Fiji

From R. W. Robson, in Suva The new Governor of Fiji, Sir Derek Jakeway, is going to find life in the Antipodes anything but dull.

kN his arrival here in January, he was handed a plate-full of Litical and economic uncertainties; t before he could get his teeth o the mess, he had to deal with ee disasters—a major flood, a gic loss of life in the foundering . , an overloaded ? ,p ’ ? nd ,he f Iden death m London of one of most valuable Fijian advisers, vuama Vunivalu.

The wrecked bridges are being itored. The Bailey bridge at ivua—sent quickly from New aland and put into place with narkable speed—is functioning.

A motor-punt on a steel rope is rying traffic, with little delay, ross the turbulent Sigatoka, while series of hardworking teams are ing to replace the two shocking ;aks in the long bridge there.

Public Works men have begun ; construction of a hard crossing. >t above the wrecked bridge at idi, to allow vehicles to ford the

stream while another bridge is built nearby.

The Government is doing a very good job in restoring road com munications; but the overall cost is distressing, at this time, Meanwhile, the Governor is tackling his plate-full of uncertainties, in wor 6 kman T ik e fashion. n e « nt i ,„,i Better Use Of Land Fiji urgently needs development of its natural resources, so that it may feed its rapidly-growing population of Fijians, Indians, Chinese and Euronesians.

That means, first, bette- of the land.

There is enough land m Fiji to feed four times the population of 420,000; but it is not readily accessible. Under the Deed of Cession, made in 1874 before the Indians came to man the sugar in dustry, Britain promised that the land

F iji's Financial Secretary, Mr. H. P. Ritchie (left) accepts a cheque for £A15,000 for [?]ood relief from Mr. R. N. Hamilton, Australian Commissioner in Fiji. The donation was made on behalf of the Australian Government. —Photo: Rob Wright.

should remain inalienably th property of the indigenous race.

Most Fijians still live in village and family groups. Although muc native land has been leased to th sugar-growers and to Europea copra-producers, use and develoi ment of land have been jealous guarded, and are not keeping pac with population needs.

The present bitter controvers over the future of the Ba lease (Fijian-owned land, worked for long time by Indian cane-growers highlights the problem. The lease approach expiry. The Fijians no> need some of this land for thei own sustenance. The Indian tenant naturally are complaining about th loss of their assets and security an livelihood.

The Governor, of course, had a briefing at the Colonial Offic before he arrived here. He arrive with the knowledge that more sell government and faster economi development are vital. He also mus have known—if he did not the com plaints of the Indians over Ba wouli have told him—that adjustment o the growing difficulties between th land-owning Fijians and the landles Indians is a necessary preliminar to any progress in the fields o political administration and economi development.

There he has met his first head ache.

Irresponsible Indian agitators am mischievous little Indian newspaper always have been a feature of lift in Fiji; and Fiji has learned to liv< with the nuisance, and ignore it.

Unfortunately, that has created : bad habit among men of affairs ii Fiji. They are inclined to turn i deaf ear to all Indian grievances— and the Fiji Indians have some rea ones—and that was how they treater the wailing at Ba.

This had a bad sequel.

"Mischief-Making"

The Governor and his adviser* were trying to bring the suspicious reluctant Fiji leaders into a sort ol inner council of mutual trust with the Indian leaders, with the idea ol dealing with land and self-govern ment on an inter-racial basis. The Fijians were being “difficult”, but were not unreasonable.

The Indians in Legco are domina ted by Mr. A. D. Patel and followers; and Mr. Patel, although now apparently prepared to co operate with high authority and play the game, has a long, lively history of anti-this and anti-that, which the Fijians have interpreted as a sort of “Fiji for the Gujeratis”.

Therefore, it was unfortunate that

this moment, when the semi-literate ne-farmers thought they were being ckeyed out of their rights at Ba, one those agitator-group nuisances ould have come into action.

It insisted that the Patels were >w currying favour with the Gov nment, that the Ba farmers were :ing sacrificed, and it appealed to e United Nations to intervene, and mounced that 80,000 oppressed idians would leave Fiji for a better id freer island (name, place and Tie unspecified).

It was sheer, silly mischief-making; it it started sensation-seeking news ipers howling—and, worst of all, it :t the Fijian leaders right back i their heels.

In Legco, on May 6, Semesa ikivou declared that the Fijians

ould stand uncompromisingly on

ieir land rights and privileges— 3thing would be given away.

So there is the irresistible force of

idian population-growth meeting the

nmovable rock of Fijian land wnership. A way around that npasse must be found, if “another yprus” is to be avoided and real evelopmental progress made. But ow?

That is No. 1 in Sir Derek’s dish f uncertainties.

Legco Men As "Ministers"

The next lies in administration. l year or two ago, Fiji was com litted to the Member-Minister astern. Selected Legco men—pre amably, two Europeans, two Fijians, vo Indians —will take charge of rovernmental departments next lonth. This is to be a first, careful tep towards self-government.

Already, the names of the selected

men are being canvassed. There has been no official announcement yet; but the commentators are sure the be Fijians Ratu Mara and Ratu Gamlau, Indians Messrs.

Patel and Deoki and Europeans Messrs> Fal and Kermode . .

Put the Fijians who came into this pl an warily and most reluctantly may leave it at any moment. They do not wish to lessen the influence of the old, separate, Fijian admimstra tion, and they fear the Indians.

adminisfra JZ

political control, and the threat of a common roll (which, of course, would give unlimited new powers to the Indians), the Fijians immedi ately would leave the governmental structure, and prepare to defend their rights. There is little doubt of that.

That is the Governor’s next un certainty.