TYRANN AT FIJI

New Zealand Mail, 17 September 1902, Page 74 (Supplement)

TYRANN AT FIJI

FEDERATION WITH NEW.

ZEALAND.

ILLEGAL ARREST OF NATIVES.

INTERVIEW WILH THE DELEGATE TO ENGLAND.

Dr George Fox, the delegate appointed to go to England and place the grievances of the native Fijians before the Secretary of State for the Colonies, was in Wellington Inst week, and a representative of the “New Zealand Times’’ took occasion to see him on the subject of his mission to London. Dr Fox, who was accompanied by Mr Riemenschneider, Chairman of _ the Fijian Federation League, willingly granted an interview —he, in fact, recognised that newspaper publicity was the best means to help on the end in view.

In reply to questions as to whether the condition of affairs in Fiji had not improved recently, Dr Fox said things were as bad as ever.

This is all due, he said, to Mr Sed'don’s interference in Fijian affairs not having been backed up by the Home Government. This, he added, is exemplified by what has happened in Fiji during the past month. A cable was received in Suva -to the effect that “Mr Chamberlain was not disposed to advocate the federation of Fiji with either New Zealand or the Commonwealth at present.” As the immediate outcome of this message, an emissary of the Government was despatched to Bau, the Fijian native capital, and news was brought into Suva two days afterwards that one hundred natives of the Nakelo district had been arrested, their alleged offence being that they had signed a petition requesting a redress of their grievances in the only way which seemed to them at all practicable, viz., federation with New Zealand. Immediately upon receipt of this information Mr Humphrey Berkely, a barrister of the Supreme Court, and myself, as representative of the Fiji Federation League, and Mr Frederick Can, merchant, Levuka, as representing the Levuka branch of the League, proceeded in a special launch to Nakelo at midnight arriving there at 4 a.m., only to find that there had been a change of venue of the Court proceedings from Nakelo to Bau. Upon hearing this, Mr Berkely and the other gentlemen, at great personal risk from the weather, proceeded to Bau in an open boat, and arriving there at 9 a.m., found that the Nakelo men had not yet arrived, thej having to walk overland some fourteen or fifteen miles in a pelting rain. After describing how these men arrived and were taken to a building where they were received by their chief, Kandavu Levu, in secret session, to which Dr Fox was refused admission, the doctor proceeded to say:—At the end of two bom's the men began to come out, but showed a decided aversion to saying anything, and set off for Nakelo immediately. A few taken to Ban, on being interviewed by Mr Berkely, replied as follow's: — Mr Berkely: What did the Roko say to you ? Natives: He asked us if wo had signed the New Zealand petition. Mr Berkely: What else did he say to you? Natives: He asked who had brought the petition to us to be signed. Mr Berkely: What did you say? Natives: Sega ni kila (we do not know). Mr Berkely: Has he let yon all go? What else did he say? Sega ni kila, saka. Sa rere sa sega. Ni vosa tale ko koya. (We do not know. We are afraid to say. He did not say any more.)

Mr Berkely: But he must have said more in two hours.

Natives: No. He talked to Emosi, our chief, and a few others near him the rest of the time, and we did not hear what he said. He has locked up Emosi, our chief, and Sam is guarding him. Mr Berkely: Where is Sam’s house? Natives: We don’t know; sa rere (we are frightened). We have not seen him. ’Sega ni raica.) At last a Fijian came up who said, “I know where Emosi Basu is. I know Sam’s house. I will show you.” He took us to tire house, where we found Emosi sitting in a corner of the hut with his hands crossed, and Sam, the gaoler, standing beside him. Mr Berkely asked Emosi: Arc you a prisoner?—Yes. Can you come out?—No. Do you wish to come out?—Yes. Then, turning to the gaoler, Mr Berkelv said: Are you guarding this man? —Yes.

Who told you to keep this man here ? —The Roko.

Have you' a vola (warrant) for this man’s arrest?—No.

“Come out,” said Mr Berkely to Emosi. “Come on board our launch.”

Emosi picked up his box and came out and the gaoler ran off to inform the Roko.

Kandavu Levu appeared when the man had gone about fifty yards with us, and shouted out to Sam and a man whose name we were informed was Melitu, to seize Emosi and take him hack to the hut, which they did. Mr Berkely then said to Kandat*u: Have you a warrant for this man’s arrest, Kandavu?

Kandavu said: He is my man, and I can do what I like with him.

Mr Berkely said: He is not your man, Kandavu. You have no right to arrest this man and confine him without a warrant. You are now assuming a right which Ko Tni Ni Peritania- (the King of Britain) does not' possess, of illegally imprisoning a man without a warrant.

The upshot was, Dr Fox said, that on the Monday morning Mr Berkely applied for a rule nisi in the Supreme Court of Suva, and accompanied liis application by affidavits from the speaker (Dr Fox) and Mr Eduard Magnus, in which the facts were related as stated above. The rule nisi was thereupon granted, and upon the same morning the man was released.

“This treatment of natives,” continued Dr Fox, “is what is generally applied. Mr Berkely is following me to New Zealand, and my mission to England is in conjunction with the steps he is taking.” In reply to a question as to what he intended asking the Imperial authorities to do, Dr Fox said: —“Failing federation with New Zealand Or the Commonwealth, we desire to have an ; elective Legislative Council, and a Royal Commission entirely independent to inquire into the native regulations, and more particularly with regard to the special jurisdiction which applies to natives apart from that obtainable in the ordinary courts of raw. This system of judicature has been hitherto considered by the administration to justify them in confining natives, without the usual forms of constitutional law being complied with, and in direct contravention of the Habeas Corpus Act, the greatest " safeguard of the liberty of a British subject.” On Friday Dr Fox had an interview on the subject with Sir Joseph Ward, the Acting-Premier, and this was of an entirely satisfactory character. He (Dr Fox) had made a full statement of the position of affairs in Fiji to the Acting-Premier, especially pointing out to him that, seeing that the encouragement held out to the natives of Fiji by the Government of New Zealand in these matters of reform of native administration so urgently desired by them lias been the occasion of further oppression by the Fiji Government, it is clearly the duty of the Government of New Zealand to represent matters to Mr Chamberlain in such a way that the Fijians shall be freed from punishment for the only crime of which they have so far been guilty—that of siguing a petition for the federation of Fiji with New Zealand.

Dr Fox, accompanied by Mr Riemensebneider, went on to Sydney by the Westralia on Saturday evening. The doctor will continue his journey

to England with as little delay as possible; but Mr Riemenschneider will remain in Sydney for some time, and hopes to see Mr Seddon on his return, in order to place that gentleman in full possession of the latest facts regarding the tyrannical treatment of the Fijians.