Representative

Fiji Sends First Representative To Australia

Prom a Suva Correspondent When the CSR Company’s ship, MV “Rona”, left Fiji for Sydney on July 25 she carried more than molasses. She also carried Fiji’s Development Com missioner, Colonel Basil Rogers, who has just been appointed to the new post of Fiji Government Representative in Australia.

HHE post of Development Commis- L sioner has now lapsed as a parate one in the Colony, and de dopment work passes into the hands : Ratu K. K. T. Mara, who is "ember for Natural Resources under ji’s new political establishment. He is no commercial background.

Not a lot of people are happy >out the Colonel’s transfer or the M arrangements for his old job.

There is still need for a full-time ;velopment man in Fiji, for Colonel ogers, and Mr. E. R. Bevington he re him, hardly had time to get the sk going.

If some Government officials run je to form the mists of disillusion prif may also fall on Ratu Mara th this part of his job.

Exactly what is Colonel Rogers go g to do when he reaches the end of s slow sugar boat to Australia? The ji Government statements haven’t ade it at all clear, but his main ark will be connected with trade tween the two countries.

A brewery man before the war, he 11 know it’s no use trying to sell er to Australia to help balance the

trade statistics, which are very mucn in Australia’s favour (see p. 121).

And sugar is out of the question.

Fiji bananas are also a sore point in Australia, but the Colonel has his eye on one import which Fiji would welcome from Australia—tourists.

His luggage contains a vast amount of tourist literature.

His luggage also includes a valuable personal collection of objets d’art and glassware, but so far there is a roof neither for the objets nor for the Fiji Government representa tive in Australia, and both will have to shelter for the time being with the Australian Trade Commissioner for the Pacific Islands, at 52 William Street, Sydney.

It’s been officially stated that the Colonel won’t have any diplomatic functions, which are still handled by the UK High Commissioner in Can berra. But trade is certainly a matter for diplomacy these days.

The Colonel is something of a hustler—if civil servants don’t get in his way—and he will probably get down to business as soon as he arrives.

Colonel Rogers, who is 50, rose to the rank of colonel in World War II when only 29. After the war he was in private enterprise till 1950 when he joined the Colonial Service.

He spent 12 years in African colonies, and held a key trade post for the Federation of Nyasaland and Rhodesia from 1959 to 1961. In that time he introduced a number of new industries to the Federation and was responsible for increasing exports to several neighbouring territories.

Colonel Rogers.