INDIAN COOLIES FROM FIJI.

Hokitika Guardian, 7 January 1921, Page 1

INDIAN COOLIES FROM FIJI.

R EMARKABLE DEVELOPMENT.

SYDNEY, Dee. 29

A Fiji police official, Inspector Kerin ode, who has just arrived in Sydney, says that the. exodus of Hindus from Fiji is it remarkable development. They are leaving at the rate of thousands every month, an intense propaganda by the Indian Nationalist organisations being mainly responsible. There were roughly 80,000 Indians in the group, hut this total has been somewhat depleted. Fully 5000 have gone away in the last month.

'Hie Indians were brought to Eiji by the Colonial Sugar Company to work the sugar plantations, under a system of indentured labour. This system was recently .abolished, insomuch that the Indian instead of being obliged to remain five years in his job, is free to come and go as lie pleases. For tlie past iwo or tlijee months the Courthouse at Suva has been thronged with Indians demanding their passpoits. Tininspector asked many of them why they were going away, but they only answered that they were “sick of Fiji.” Many of these Indians have been many years in Fiji, and were regarded as having made their permanent homes there. But they have sold up everything, generally at a great sacrifice, and are rushing off home with the coolie.just freed from their indentures. There is another side to tlie picture. Tlie home-going Indians have not found matters quite as they expected in India, and a very large proportion of those who left three months ago are now sending frantic messages to Fiji, asking for an opportunity to return. This is likely to he afforded them. The removal of so many Indians from Fiji has brought about an acute labour problem, and the Sugar Company does not where fo turn for men to replace the homing lfidiftipj,