FIJI'S POLITICAL CRISIS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18380, 21 April 1923, Page 12

FIJI'S POLITICAL CRISIS.

SUGAR EXPORT DUTIES.

.•DEADLOCK IN : COUNCIL. - ELECTED MEMBERS ANGRY. [FROM '•'■ OT7B OWN CO-RESPONDENT.] -;';.. . v r * SUVA .April 13. ' Fiji has its own political troubles, but all that has ever happened before! is as nothing compared with the gravity of the situation which came to a climax this, morning in the Legislative Council, when the Elected Members threw down tho gauntlet to' the - Secretary of State and told the Governor that they refused to fit until they (received from Downing Street a full explanation of why Mr. Churchill had arrogated to himself the right of disposing of the finances of the Colony .Without first obtaining the consent of the Legislative Council, whosa rights and privileges he had directly atain August of last year the Governor was advised that Mr. Churchill had personally assured Mr. Knox, on behalf of the Colonial Sugar Refining Company, that the duties (export) on sugar and molasses would be abolished for the then current year. This meant a total bum of £56,000, and this at a time when the Colony's Budget showed a deficiency of something like £200,000. The Elected Members and the public ■were kept in total ignorance of - this until recently, when the Governor was compelled to ratify Mr. Churchill s promise by passing the necessary legislation. Then the fat wa s in the fire. .The Governor, in a Message to Counci . ... said: On August 3 last Mr. Churchill informed the Governor by telegram that he had promised the representatives of the Colonial Sugar Refining Company that the export duties should not be charged on that crop. This was practically a gift of £56,000 to the 'sugar companies. No steps were however, taken to give legal sanction to that ruling, so the duties continued to be collected. Owing to the uncertainty as to its ultimate disposal, however, the money was not paid in to general revenue, but credited to a suspense ' account termed "Deposits Sugar Companies." The total amount involved is £56,039. None of this had been credited to revenue. Now the export, taxes are to be abolished as from April 1. ;•(;.>■- '*'. Unjustifiable Violation." Tho Colony having been pledged to this course,, however illegally, the elected members decided to allow the Bill to go through without comment. Tins was done before the Address-in-Reply was read, an unusual course, but the situation was an unusual one, as after events proved. ''' '.■-■'■ •..;■ . The address, ; after dealing with the lesser and opening. references in the Governor's Address, went on as follows: "In 'j'i June last /the elected members formally protested against a certain action of the Secretary of State, and subsequently received the following reply:— •I havoto request that the Legislative Council may be informed that the failure to lay the proposal * before them was due to a misunderstanding of my instructions and that I had no intention of departing from the usual practice in such matters." In the:; present" instance ;' the principle transgressed is the same, but the amount involved and all the surrounding circumstances make the' case ' far % more serious. In our opinion the action of the Secretary of Stat© in undertaking to dispose of ■ the funds of the Colony without first obtaining the consent of the Legislative Council ;is - an unjustifiable violation of the rights and • privileges \of this Council. No such serious infringement ;of ; these ; rights has been % attempted, since a measure of elective representation'; was granted to the r Colony. If Your Excellency, under ' instructions, had;; attempted to • force . the Legislative Council to carry out the wishes of the Secretary ; of -.-" State, we, the elected . members, •• would unitedly . /.have • resisted to :; the utmost by every ; constitutional means i in our; power, and we > are confident that we should ; ; have / had, in that action," *.. the strong support of every 'section pi" the community.. ■' >> -V .;.;/';-■ : ;-;'- /> . , An Ultimatum. "Fortunately/by the tact and diplomacy Vof the?local Administration, this position has, been avoided, but we feel that it.is now our 'duty.; to request from the ! Secretary of State a definite declaration of policy. If the Secretary ;of State maintains that he ha's absolute; control over the revenues of the colony, and may at any time dispose of its |. funds at i his ■ own ;s discretion without first obtaining the consent of the Legislative Council, the usefulness of the council as ■ at" present constituted is at an ! end, and the services of the elected members of no further value.;,/. The - principle involved is so important, affecting as it ; does th© whole question of constitutional government of the colony, that the elected members of the Council are not prepared to i take any .further part in its • proceedings until they have received some.definite assurance from the .Secretary of. State that no similar infringement of the constitutional '. rights lof ;. the * Council "will be attempted in the ■- future.;? -We respectfully request^ Your Excellency to transmit our views on this subject to the Secretary of State by cable. v Until the question raised has been settled, we consider it inadvis- • able to J: express : any opinion ■•:■■:■ upon the other important questions referred to in : Your Excellency's address." ■~ - N. In reply, the Governor said, inter alia: \ 0.8. R. Company;• were never asked to waive ..any v claim, they -were, i merely asked to -state' intentions. The question of the future export ; duties has been considered ; solely on .its: merits. Even if no . question had 1 arisen in regard to 1922 duties the Government h would have been prepared, nevertheless, to ; recommend ■, to f the , Council the arrangement < actually come to. I should have nothing i further to say but for the attitude of non-co-operation • which has been adopted at the end of the Ad-dress-in-Reply. I •;': need hardly say -that I deeply deplore .that attitude." ~ ;. Next Step . Awaited.. The, Governor then went on to say that the i honour iuad;prestige of ;.<the colony ..'•:. was of; more importance than con'sfitu. tional arguments, v/"I hope," he went on, "that honourable members will not mind my expressing, my; opinion—l do it with no personal feeling—that, if our - prestige and our credit, are to -% avoid /'damage, what we want is a 'little less politics; and a little more statesmanship. 'I cannot, of course, accept any responsibility for such delay in the transaction of public business as may result from the attitude which* elected members have thought fit to adopt. I adjourn the Council sine die." Now the public are waiting to see how the Secretary of State will treat the situation. Whatever happens, the residents are firm to resent the action of Downing Street.