FIJI AND THE COOLIES.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 484, 17 April 1909, Page 6

FIJI AND THE COOLIES.

IS THE NATIVE DOOMED?

ALLEGATIONS AGAINST THE WHITES,

During the course of a conversation with a Dominion reporter yesterday, the Rev. W. B. Poole, of Fiji, who is id. "Wellington for a few days, touched upon a number of important matters affecting the' Group. ■ Mr. Poole said that the Indian coolies furnished a perplexing problem. Upon the completion of their term of service on , the plantations, they had the option of being re-indentured, or of remaining on the h- x lands as free Indians. It was said that, if they.were not allowed to remain after they had fulfilled their-contracts, great-dif-ficulty would be experienced in recruiting them. For his own part, he believed that they should be allowed to remain in the Group only so long as they worked. After: they gained their freedom, they leased or purohased land or entered into business as" /storekeepers coming directly into. competirjtion .with the Europeans. The steady in--'crease in -the numbers of the Indians and ■ : the decrease of the native population presented a big problem. It had been found that the Indians were more suitable for the - labouring work on the plantations and, owing to the fact that all of them held areas , in a land of full, and plenty, the; native Fijians did no work excepting when they : wished 'to provide ; themselves with boats, .churches, or. the like. ■; .. • ; '•, : . ./• '!,, Who is- to blame for V the murders of whites, which .occur from time to time in .the . Group? was the next question which was asked. : He stated, in'reply,,' that in some 'cases the victims --of:,the "atrocities had ; simply 'reaped the harvest of that which they had sown. It would,be as'well to mention at the outset that the Indians did not stand for all' that,was noblest. ■ Their influence was, he was sorry to say,: baneful on the whole. He was informed that they were not recruited from;; amongst the better classes, but '■' were ; really the scum of ' the cities, and included numbers of criminals. It .was L fair to. say that, in some instances, _ their conduct was an'airiprovement on the behaviour'; of some of our own colour. - The immorality: of'"the"'lndiana was oftentimes supplemented : by the- immorality of the Europeans. It was not to be implied from hie remarks that fault .could be found with regard to the conduct of all. the Europeans. As a matter of fact, some were honourable o tb : a degree,' and did not look upon the I .Indians as nothing more than so much of J inule flesh. He had never known an ik- B stance where'it had been alleged that/either ; ah Indian or, a native Fijian had committed a crime against a i white woman or child , . . The coolie or the native never took'the initiative A in that kind.of thing; the sinner in almost every: case was a man with a'vvhite 'skin'.,'..:lt:,was only, when they were ■ incensed that the coolies really became -a ■menacev■" ; ' ,; .' ; ";■.",'"■• '~.'■•■':■. ■''.' ' .' : '- v ; ' '. - Is the mission work among the Indians likely to prove successfulf 1 inquired' the re- ' porter. ■ > ':• ' .'/ .-. ;-■ -' ~ :■; ' ' •;' :..:-"Statistics,''. , -replied- ; Mr.v--.Poole,' "show that the Indians are increasing at a fairly, rate,' and that, whilst in some disfcncts the , native Fijians are'holding their own, in. others :they...are: decreasing. In.deedj it was not improbable that the coolies ; might supplant the natives. great progress had '.been made by the mis- ; sioners among , the but the work , among ithe coolies, was ;aTduous. The : fact that only one missionary had- been massacred by the vFijians in the history- of mis- \. : sion work therej. was ai splendid tribute to the race. As a result of reinforcements ;•] which had just been made to the ; staff at i work, among ;the_ Indians, it -was hopedthat greater success in connection with the evan- . gelisation of, those people would result.. ; "If,!'; added Mr., Poole, "the : Indians sup- ; - plant the natives, and the work. of, evan- ;j gelisation ;is ..not..: successful,, : : it ■Jβ possible :i that; : B';cpuntry where'isuch'glorious results r have .been ;.secured:.-may-: again become a ' heathen country;, with an even worse' form of ! heathenism . than that: which; formerly characterised ;it."i ; :; ■~'■•.,: ■■ . ; V.', ...... ; ' . : ■ ■■'.■. ' ' i