ABOUT FIJI.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 90, 9 January 1908, Page 5

ABOUT FIJI.

THE PROGRESS OF THE ISLANDS.' . AMALGAMATION WIT? NEW ZEALAND., INTERVIEW WITH MR. HUMPHREY 1 \ ' ' BERKELEY. (':• •' • r.;. ' •'• o :i) ■sx'v-.T '• Among the guests at prfsopt paying $ tboiCJrand Hqtel is Mr> Berkeley,v v ii > ■ of. Fiji,: n brqtheriof Sir Jleriryßerkelcy,latq ! : Qpyqmor of Fiji,and :p. gentleman whoso w name lia,a been |)o(or» the public?receptly as. the purchaser pf F&nnipg Irfaroj. But o£ this litpr, Mr, Berkeley, a brisk, clean-shavpcj, ' healthyrcomplexmnod: gentlemen,was: only tpo . delighted tq talk of the- country' of his v v awy oqt upon the track pf the line. „ ;It' was so prosperous juid; the outlook, v; was so bright that\ it a picture to tell someone: about it- witty an object. of..interest-. '/ ing qthers. ■: Opevpf- the principal. objects ;of the. present administration .was- to open, up ■ :. tho country, and- this was being done by forming goad roads everywhere,, and by - an ;w----arrnngomont with theNstivo owners making: thoso lands which had becnMong idle avail-',. • able fotf commercial purposes and settlements A great deal of:land was being'taken up for sheoplfarming; and thoy hoped for very good v <;■ resuUs. Land for a Song. ] r ' 1 " About what do they psy for sheep ; country in Fiji? ',' asked tho.reporter. •: 1: " You dpn't buy it, you know; it is rented, j .You can got yory decent'land at an annual ; j rental pf qbout 3d, an sore. 1 ktiqw of ono porson who qmfco recently took up a lQOOracre block, for which heis k only paymg.£lo - a year t and the other day I- met a Mr, ■ Wright,, who had just purchased a, thousand ' sheep: m New vSputh Watofor liberation oa his'land at: Fiji,' l ; , , Doesn't tho heat affect'.them? ..

. "No, they might deteriorate a bit in time' on that score, but .wo hopo to bo able to keop • j up a fair standard'by a constant infusion. - , J of new blood. ''Fiji is extending her ' interest? ,in.-; air ! variety of ways, and I would strongly advisa anyone to invest there-rat least, as things , f aro under tho present Gavornmont. There.; aro no labour jaws—black .labour cam bo i secured for from Is, to 2s,ai]ay, in addition to .which you have to feed and house tho ! men, maxipium cost, say, 2s. aday. '

" Under an arrangement with t.he Indian! l ' ; Government indentured labour js' Allowed,) ( and an average qf 2000 Indianß aro imported j ovpry year. ••••They •'aro. indentured forfive• 1 ..] years with the option l of a further five yeara;: ) hold by the Fijian: Government. At tho end ! qf tho term thoy pan eithpr gp |>qok fco j or remain. They aro cncouj-ftgptJ to, and j most of thorn do; remain, for it is cqrrimott 1 | property that the Fijian race is dying:(jutj; j and the Government must onsuro a supply of . ; ready .labour if they want to geo the place ! go-ahead. : . • : .' i A White Man's Country: - i : " Fiji is a . white man's , country right .; enough, but it is not. a iclnto man's country. : if ho has to work in tho cano. fields. Tliero is , a lot of talk about tho whito man being ablo ~ to work' in tjie canp-fields—it is absurd. ■ It isn't an experiment —I hnvo peep it tried in the West Indies and Honolulu; and it lias failed every time, i There js work for thej white man, and work for tho black man, byl pane-cutting is not'.a white man's work I •■■■ > Thfl Amalgamation Question. ..• m " When 1 wag in Now Zealand last,'' said ■Mr. Berkeley, !'I talked with Mr. Seddon about Fiji being absorbed by New. Zeqlpndy.beooniing integral part rif'ltlip (3tatp, 'ii|(d ho wfts quitq iij favour of : it,b\jt the, Commonwealth WM. opposed. to\ its interests ju ,tho Pacific, and our petition' to the Homo' authprities was •turned down, I mypelf tnok Home a petition bearing' tho signatures pf 3Q f OOP people rpsU dent.iri Fiji, ,It is ot!Q ijf my ppt_ §cjieme3 I( ,> and I think it' is "only a matter of time whom Fiji must amalgamate with . Now Zealand; Wo'produce oommoditieg that you cannot,, and, on the other hand,,you producq things: that wo cannot. You w&nt our fruit andsugar, and wo want your wheat and other . ' 'grainiM- Butter we cah produce, but nothing: like sp good as tho New Zealand article. On : the other haw), the Commonwealth has nothing to fear, because it lias Queensland to produce its tropica) or sub tropical products; ■ ; No Interference with Labour Laws, "In amalgamating- with Now Zealand , . therQ .WPuld.be no fear of our labour laws being tampered with: it wouldn't dol That would -be a matter .of ' arrangement in drafts , j in<s tho charter'of, amalgamation. I don't , ; .suppose this amalgamation will take place at pnpe; indeed, so satisfactorily aro matters • ; progressjng that there is no immediate necessity for a change, and the ; Government is doing all that could be desired to forward the progress of the group." . . ■ | Mr. Berkeley Buys Island Property. Thoro.wero cable messages recently report- ; ing the salo of Fanning. Island to 'Father ; Bougier, and ..it. was imagined in some. quarters : :tlwt France was securing an in- • tere'st in tho group. The position was Dnafc ) , there had been litigation over tho Island, •' and when tho courts determined tho position Mr. Borkeloy put the island up for sale, and his friend, Father Bougier, bid for him, and so secured the property. Mr. Berkeley isays s that Fanning Island has a ooast lino of about thiity-two miles. It had never boon surveyed,' but was supposed to have an area of 16,000 acres., It was rich in phosphates, and- was 'a good copra (dried cocoanuts for oil) producing island. It was in conneetjon ' with these phosphate!) that ho was visiting • Now Zealand—ljo wishes to opon up a market, and as they aro qf the highest class. ; for',tho purpose of manure, he did not anticipate mucji difficulty'- 1 in making an opciling. His manager estimated that this season s . output of copra would total about 600 tons. : •Ho had also purchased Washington Island (6000 acrcs in extent) for tho same commercial projects as offered in the caso of Fanning Island. •"'"',

PACIFIC CABLE BOARD'S VIEW OF '•, THE PURCHASE.

(Rcc. Jan. 8, 0.55 p.m.) ' London, January 8. ■ : Confirmation lias been received of tho report that Father Rougier has purchased Fanning Island, The Pacific Cable Board, think it woul(l he advantageous if Father Rougier pent settlers to the Island.