Fiji Was In A Sweat As

Arabs Turned Off Fuel

From a Suva correspondent

That’s the fuel crisis, that was, people of Fiji thought in mid-March, when the Prime Minister announced that there were now ample stocks of petrol for cars and buses and fuel oil for electricity generating plants.

Ample, yes, but at a price (with more to come) that will help to keep up the fuel consumption consciousness bred by the “crisis” period. This began in mid-December. With the peak of the hot season approaching, Fiji was suddenly deprived of the devices of modern technology that have helped increasingly to beat the effects of tropical heat.

In a dramatic—almost a melo dramatic—announcement, the govern ment broke the news that the world energy crisis sparked off by Arab oil curbs and price lifts had hit Fiji with a bang. The international companies servicing Fiji had cut the country’s normal supplies of oil products by 20 per cent and had at the same time warned that price rises were in evitable.

This, the government announce ment said, meant less petrol for motorists, less oil fuel for electricity generation, less fuel for aircraft cal ling at Fiji airports and less bunker oil for ships at Fiji ports. Unless the people of Fiji voluntarily, and drastic ally, reduced their consumption of energy, particularly that derived from petrol and electricity, then curbs, including rationing of petrol, would have to be imposed by the govern ment.

The response was immediate, and was a credit to the public spirit of the great majority of Fiji’s people.

They cheerfully adapted themselves to being able to buy only a gallon or two of petrol at bowser stations, and to paying more for what they did get.

There were a few (taxi drivers being fairly conspicuous) who tried to hoard petrol, but most motorists set out to cut down consumption by such things as lunching at the office instead of driving home and back, by leaving big cars in the garage or re placing them with smaller ones, and by cutting out unnecessary trips or doubling up with neighbours or work mates wherever possible.

Householders suddenly became electricity consumption conscious and began looking critically at the rate at which the meter figures mounted. Hot water systems were switched off, completely or for most of the day,

only essential lights were used in homes, shops and offices, illuminated signs ceased to be illuminated, and street lighting was cut down.

Cooking practices were examined to see if electricity was being used unnecessarily. There was a rise in the demand for gas cookers. Bus services were curtailed, though the cynical noted that, like a good many of the international air services that were also cut, those chosen for elimination were not necessarily the most con venient for passengers but the least profitable for the operators.

Fiji Industries Ltd, the country’s only cement manufacturer, announced plans to switch from oil to coal to fire the kilns at its Lami works. But in the larger towns the effect of the energy crisis that was most severely felt was the switching off of air-con ditioners.

Banks, shops, restaurants and offices, that have in recent years be come oases of comfort, suddenly turned into hot boxes once more.

Even the fans that used to produce an artificial breeze were taboo because they use electricity. In some cases the situation was relieved by opening windows, but many buildings re modelled for the use of air-condition ing have had their window spaces blocked up or the windows themselves replaced by fixed glass.

Suva’s newer muLi-storey buildings, including the one housing most of the Government’s top offices, have been designed with few windows that can be opened, and those only with some difficulty.

The family firm of the Minister of Finance, Stinsons Ltd, run by Mr Stinson’s wife and son since he entered the Cabinet, had a hard look at plans for a new company headquarters building now nearing completion. The horrid truth dawned that none of the many windows in the building could be opened and that the bill for re placing the already constructed frames would amount to some $20,000.

In the new government offices, some of the more elderly of the Prime Minister’s visitors began arriv ing in his office reception room pant ing from the effects of having climbed the steep flights of stairs leading to the fourth floor. The building’s lift bore a notice that it was out of use because of the fuel crisis.

But after the first flash of sacrifice,

Hotel Guests Left Early

doubts brought some easing off.

Workers in windowless inside offices began turning their air-conditioners on again. So did such people as architects and clerks who found that in rooms with no cooling devices the sweat oozing from arms made work impossible.

Hotel owners became concerned about visitors who decided to leave early because there was no day-time air-conditioning in their rooms. Some of the banks, finding a sharp decline in efficiency as well as comfort, gradually brought their cooling devices back into operation.

The feeling began to grow generally, that although the position was a matter for much concern, the government, at least in the early stages, had over-reacted. This feeling was encouraged when, inexplicably in the light of the gravity of the picture at first officially painted, Cabinet rejected the idea of daylight saving— an obviously effective way of avoiding an hour or more of artificial lighting every day and a way, too, of extend ing the use of the naturally cooler hours of the early morning and after noon.

Finally, the government, on

March 13, decided to lift all restric tions on the supply and consumption of fuel.

In later government announce ments, the emphasis shifted from prophecies of physical shortages of fuel to a warning that costs were likely to sky-rocket, so in the in terests of the national economy the discipline of restrictions in the use of energy must continue.

A somewhat bizarre development was the news that an approach was to be made to Iran to see whether the government of that country would like to establish an oil refinery in Fiji. The inquiry was apparently ex tended to Saudi Arabia, but the reply came back that although attitudes were friendly and the oil-producing Arabs would like to help, likely sales in Fiji and neighbouring South Pacific countries did not justify the establish ment of a refinery.

This was interesting, because it supports what the oil companies traditionally supplying Fiji said when a former Minister of Commerce and Industries, Mr Vijay R. Singh, was negotiating with an American group to refine oil for Fiji’s needs.

Meanwhile, motorists can fill their

tanks with petrol—if they can afford to. Air conditioners may be used without official displeasure or threats —but there are stern warnings that electricity prices are on the way up, and up.

Petrol stations that closed on Saturday afternoons and Sunday— because of the fuel crises—remain closed, and the bus services that were cancelled—also because of the crisis—have not been restored.

Massive electrical power short ages hit American Samoa in recent weeks, causing inconvenience to the public and loss of money to local island businesses. Two generators, operated by the Electric Utility Division of the Public Works De partment, broke down, causing a loss of 50 per cent of the electric power.

The Satala power plant reported that a generator had, for the third time in recent years, broken a main crankshaft. A week later another generator was down with its bear ings burned out.

To conserve power, all residents were asked to turn off air condition ers and unnecessary appliances.

The television station was operat ing on shortened schedules and, at times, was off the air completely.