SHOULD FIJI BE OURS?

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1019, 7 January 1911, Page 6

SHOULD FIJI BE OURS?

.A MISSIONARY'S VIEW. IBy TelecraDh.-Spccial Corrrenondcnt.) ■ Auckland, January 6. Tho Rev. J. Burton, who for nine years was connected with tho Indian Mission at Fiji, in the course/ of conversation with a "Herald" reporter oil island affairs, expressed tho opinion that tho proposed transfer of the-head-quarters of tho High Commissioner of the Western Pacific from Fiji to Australia would ■be-generally approved in Fiji._ The peoplo of Fiji, he said, aro of -opinion that the Governor, who 1 i-s also tlie High Commissioner of the Western Pacific, .lias a sufficiently heavy task in looking after Fiji affairs alone. Besides, in war time, if the Australian naval base is in Sydney, and tho British naval base iii Auckland, the western group would bavo to look to Australia fori protection, just as Fiji and Tonga would look to New Zealand. "In regard' to trade,"-continued Mr. Burton, "it is a peculiar fact that tho bull; of the export from Fiji goes to Now Zealand, whilst the Sydney merchants send the largest portion of tliei imports. The export • trado ■ of the group is still expanding. Last year copra to tho value of £200,000, sugar £750,000, and bananas £150,000 were exported. Touching on Fiji land problems, Mr. Burton stated that nearly all the land is owned by tho natives, and tho Homo authorities refuso to sanction its sale to tho whites. At present 12,000 acres aro under cultivation, . but 4,580,000 acres are yet untouched. Naturally tho locking up of this largo area retards progress. , , "This, to my mind," concluded jlr. Burton, "suggests that New. Zealand would bo better ablo to administer the affairs of Fiji than Australia, as tho Dominion has more experience in dealing with nativo lands, and also thero is not a 'White Australia' prejudice here."