FIJI AND ANNEXATION.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 12415, 26 July 1902, Page 2

FIJI AND ANNEXATION.

Among tho passengers by the Waikare on her recent excursion to Fiji was-Mr W. Evans, the well-known miller and grain merchant. In the course of conversation with one of our staff Mr Evans, who is a shrewd ; observer, and has travelled pretty ox- j 'tensively, said he fully endorsed the remarks j made by our correspondent 011 the 14th in-:t. | as to the position of the natives and the ! feeling in regard to annexation. Mr Enins | produced a copy of the Polynesian Gazette of a rectot date, which contained a letter signed T. F. Burness, makin" some very strong comments on the manner in which affairs in Fiji were administered. This gentleman is a planter of 30 years' standing, and with him, among others, Mr Evans had some conversation as to the state of affairs in the group. Mr Evans went 011 to say: — " I met many residents, mostly business people, who spoke to me about the unfair "treatment of the natives by the existing Government. All wero of one mind that a radical change must soon take place, or the native race will at an eavly date bccome extinct. I also met several chiefs, one of whom informed me that he-was deported to an out,lido Island for some months for. no oilier reason than that ho had signed a requisition asking that Fiji should be annexed to New Zealand, and ho had only jlist been released ihrouah the exertions, of Mr liumplirey Berkeley, a lccal barrister, who lately visited Now Zealand. Some business people informed 1110 they did not like to say all they could say 011 the subject, as once it war. known they wero hostile to tho existing Government they would be boycotted through their Inv-mcsses, tile. If "it were not for the missionaries the natives would be in a worse state evon than thev ore at present. l!o!h Protestant and Catholic missions are mentioned by all with rcspect, and they arc loved by the. natives. An article in your issue of the 14th" inst. is quite iu accordance willi the information obtained by me during my visit. The question of annexation to New Zealand was not of such vital importance.'. What some advocated was a sort of provincial government, who would make laws to suit the requirements of the people; hut if this was unobtainable, they would prefer annexation to Xev Zealand to remaining a? ai present." In the Western Pacific Hc-rakl, a Government organ, of .Time 27, and which Mv Evans brought with him, is an account of a demonstration of welcome to Mr Humphrey Berkeley on his return from Now Zealand by the briefly re-

turned thanks 011 two occasions to the natives. The first short address of thanks made by Mr Berkeley is not reported, but ■there is an attempt to account for the cheering by stating that a native 011 baing examined a# to what was said, remarked that Ihe understood they were not to pay any more taxes.