Up Australian

Despite Warnings On Immigration Laws . . .

Fiji-Indians Buy

Real Estate

From a Suva Correspondent Telephone and cable wires have been humming between Fiji and Brisbane over the last few months over land deals

which a Queensland firm,

Alfred Grant Pty. Ltd., has

been conducting in Fiji.

WORKING through three agents, one an import-export firm at Suva, and the others Indian business men, the company—through an advertisement in the Fiji papers—has been offering building and farm land “just 15 miles from the heart of Brisbane”.

Fiji’s people, the advertisement tells them, can own a first-class free hold block for £45 deposit and £9 per month —the block costing be tween £5OO and £6OO.

“We have land available on the world-famous Kawana Island,” says the company, and “farmlets from five to 10 acres close to Brisbane.” Sales have been brisk in Fiji, especially among the Indians who see in the land the key to Australia’s front door and a chance to set up home there.

The company, it is stated, has always instructed its agents to tell prospective buyers that ownership of land does not automatically open the door to Australia for Fiji’s people.

Warning

But the Australian Commissioner in Fiji, Mr. R. N. Hamilton, re cently found it necessary, however, to sound a warning.

“Persons living in Fiji who buy land in Australia gain no rights what ever of entry or residence in Aus tralia,” he said.

“Nor is there any reason to expect that this situation will alter.

Rumours have come to my notice to the effect that persons who have acquired land in Australia might hope thus to gain special advantages if some modification of the Aus tralian immigration policy were to occur.

“Such rumours should be regarded as entirely without foundation.”

In view of the company’s instruc tions to its agents on the implications of land ownership in Australia by people in Fiji, one would have ex pected that the Australian Com missioner’s statement would have been accepted.

But not long afterwards, the company put out a statement over the name of E. Rowley Pym, over seas manager, which claimed that Australia’s immigration laws must eventually be relaxed.

The statement was sent to Fiji newspapers and was published in one of them before a request from the company to withhold the statement was received.

The statement read: “The name of my company, Alfred Grant Pty. Ltd., was men tioned recently in the news in con nection with the purchase of Aus tralian land and the right of the owners to gain entry to Australia.

“We advertise extensively the fact that the ownership of land by the people of Fiji does not carry any privileges of entry at the present time.

Relaxation "Obvious"

“However, I cannot agree that there is no reason to expect that this situation will alter; on the contrary it is quite obvious to any reason able thinking person that Australia must relax her present immigration laws and fall into line with America and Canada.

“Recently there have appeared re ports of the movement known as a ‘Federation of Oceania’ and it is pleasing to read that the leaders of our great countries are stressing the vital need of free trade and move ments of the people of the South Pacific.

“Mr. K. G. Frazer, who read a paper by the Auckland Manufac turers’ Association, said ‘New Zealand and Australia should agree to lift progressively barriers on the free movement of people from Oceania into both countries.’

In the same issue of the journal in which Mr. Pym’s statement appeared, there was a full-page advertisement from Alfred Grant Pty. Ltd. announcing that to deal with the “ever-increasing demand”, the company had appointed three additional representatives in Fiji. The names of three Indian businessmen followed.

The advertisement, like earlier ones, continued no warning about the ownership of land in Australia carry ing no privileges of entry. • See also "Fiji Negotiations on Immi gration," p. 25.