FIJI.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CIX, Issue 13121, 8 May 1903, Page 6

FIJI.

INTERESTING CORRESPONDENCE. [EROii Our Cokresi-ondent.] -WEI/LINGI'ON, lilay 7. iMr Chanibei'lain's reference in l'arliameut, to reported m the-cable mesiages published ihis morning, lias occasioned soma speculation. 1 therefore send you Viio iollowiiig correspondency widen speaks for itself. Id shows, rh'st, tb:u"\\ir Lhanibeilain, who said* that it would not do to pav too mu:ii attention to 'Air Seudon, luii/aduptea: a good many of 'his sug-"'t-rtioiis. The one ne does not ■refer, to junis k-tiCL- to Lord ilanlurijv of fck-pt. 20, ioi. tho ac-dition of elected European and native members io tue' 'Council was considered, approved' and leconimended by the Governor of the! group some little tinio a«o, and tco petitions lor annexation weio taken Home <ny -Mr ihuinpnrey Berkeley, and will be heard d L no doubt, m una course. The attention paid to these matters is a lair answer to tno objections that, in regard to 'Fiji, our Premier would get no fuuher than a snu'b : "Steamship Ton.gariro, Tenenfte, kept. 13 I^o2.—b.r—The question of Fiji ami 5 tho Pacdic Islands not toying been dealt with at the. late. Conference, 1 desire- to call your attention to the decrease of tue Fijiun population, which, the census returns irive as 'being one thousand a year for tno Lst twenty years, and the late census returns Show no improvement, but quite the reverse. The European population m the Fiji Islands is also less than it was twenty rears a"o. The Islands are capable- of great development, and, whilst tie Fijian will not work regularly, yet at certain employment, such as planting, fruit-growing, etc., ■ .which, is intermittent, he, like tno Maori, ■would do this, -provided the opportunity offered and 'his labours were htUngiy requited. The spreading out of the tMaoris on new lands, and with. due regard to water supply and sanitation, has gone a, long way to .prevent their dying out, Mid they are now on the increase Tne neuiyanpointed Governor of the Islands will no doubrgive this matter his attention,, and do hh best to'arrest the .dying out or the Kiian race The New Zealand Parliament S Solutions some time ago agreeing' rthe.annesation of Fiji to *«* n *i and iii reply thereto, the becretarj oj State VH£ <^°™ 9 statetl at h FHinns who had ceded the Islands should bo consulted'. How and in what way this wtsToTe done ha, not yet beer, intimaed to the New Zealand Government. leU tions have been' largely Fiiians, but what.has become ot the same te do not know. From the look, however, it will -be sometime- before this'matter will .be- deal with, and wndiii"- to decision, and New /---a laud "bcirc- largely interested, I very 1 "pectfuliv s urge that there should be some ) European and native members elected to ' £ ILcmive Council.. This ha, worked well in other similarly situated islands, and would, I feel sure, relieve the strained situation in Fiii, besides being appreciated, bj both races. I also consider it. imperative that a- loan should be authorised, lor the mirpose of road-making, improving the beds of rivers for navigation and water-supply. Experiments should also be made on a large E cale in cotton-growing. This would find employment for the natives, and take the place of fruit-growing, which has of late vears, owing to lessened fallen oft considerably. With the recent Cpmmon- , wealth tariff on fruits there will most ' likely bo a still further falling off. ±.ne export of copra could also be largely increased if extended -planting wens obtained. !At present the sugar-growing industry seems to be the Alpha and Omega of Fiji. It is not wise to have all the eggs in one basket, and should changes eventuate inimical to the sugar-growing industry, Fiji would be in a very bad condition. Beetgrowing in New Zealand or a change in our, tariff, "withdrawing the concession now granted on raw sugar, would injuriously affect Fiji sugar-growing, and, seeing these are contingencies that may arise, it is well] to further, especially in the interests of the Fijians, the other industries for which the islands are eminently adapted.—l have, etc., R. J. Seddon." "Downing Street, Sept. 30, 1902. My. ~ Lord, —I have the honour to inform you that I have, received from your Prime Min- . ister a letter dated Sept. 13, in which he makes certain suggestions with regard! to. the administration of Fiji. I shall be glad if you will inform him., in reply, that! .Sir H. Jackson, the 'newly-appointed Governor of Fiji, has already been asked to report'on the question of giving more effective representation in the Council to -the European residents, and that his attention willbe drawn to the other points raised by Mr Seddon, and in particular to the desirability of improving communications by opening up the lower reaches of the rivers and by a more extended construction of roads and bridges. Mr Seddon will appreciate the fact that it is necessary to move cautiously in dealing with matters of such importance to the future of ' Fiji, but he may rest assured that his suggestions will receive full consideration, both from Sir H. Jackson and from myself.—l have, etc., J. Chamberlain. To the Right Hon the Earl of Ranfurlv, S.C.M.G."