FIJIAN TROUBLE

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 10509, 10 February 1920, Page 5

FIJIAN TROUBLE

NO INDENTURED LABOUR INDIANS AND WORKERS. TEE TRESS ASSOCIATION. TIMARU, February 10. From a reliable source a representative of the "Timaru Herald" was- able to gain some information in regard to the labour conditions in Fiji, , which lia s interest in connection with the present Indian trouble. Contrary to the general impression in New Zealand, there is no indentured labour m Fiji. importations of Indians, under tile indenture system, ceasod soma years ago, and contracts lapsing since that time have not been renewed. L'o the beginning «if this year an arrangement was made with the planters by n-hich those contracts which have not expired were- forthwith terminated, and the only Indian labour now is tree labour. A fine Spirit was known by the plant, era in allowing tho contracts to bo cancelled, because at the time when this was done it Was the middle of tho planting season, when labour was of the greatest importance to them. A great proportion of the Indians new in Fiji, it was explained, did not go I there under tho indenture system, but ivere born iu the islands, and are children of those- imported at an earlier period. They were free Indians, Who had never' been indentured at any time. When the contracts expired under the former indenture system, the Indian labourers- had it in their power to go back to India, but almost all of them preferred to gettlo in the islands, of which the Indian population now was very largo. It was easy for tho, Indians to 6'btain land for tnemselves, tihtt they were encouraged to do 66 by the Government. The' present trouble is doubtless mixed tip with the increased cost of living. The price of vice, the chief food or the Indians, had gone up by 16809 and bounds, and tho import would bo cut oft entirely by the Australian engineers' strike. Ait the rice came from Australia by the Burnsi'ilnlp steamers, which were not running to the islands now. If t-lio free workers wero asking 5s a day, that wouuld be a high wage for Indians, who required very little to support them. nice would grow well in Fiji, and a null had been established by tho Government, b t neither the Indians lior the Fijian:. <-.uo t o grow it. One complaint agaii...> the indenture cystc-m, when that prevailed, had been caused by the great disproportion' between Indian won, and women, and from a cast motive it had-been iirged since that a special hospital should fco provided for Indian women, at which only women should form tho staff. That was- a difficult requirement to fulfil. Generally speaking, the Indians in Fiji showed little concern for cast.- Allegations, had been ma-de that when the influenza raged, rt year ago, Indian sufterero wero neglected by the FJuropoans, but no statement could be more Untrue,. English girls worked in attending tho, Indians till they could hardly stand. Generally speaking, the Indiana have been peaceful workers, though one small strike, under the indenture system when that prevailed, was remembered by this informant. Troublt had been mr.de of late by a- few agitators, and it was surmised that the Indian population generally must bo siding with thp workers who had made demands, or the Governor" would not have thought it necessary to appeal to New Zealand for the protection of the white inhabitants. It was most improvable that tho Fijian natives would make any joint cause with tho .Indians'.