THE COLONIST. Published Every Morning. Friday, November 27, 1908. A FLOURISHING COLONY.

Colonist, Volume LI, Issue 12410, 27 November 1908, Page 2

THE COLONIST. Published Every Morning. Friday, November 27, 1908. A FLOURISHING COLONY.

■.The .last report of - Sir -Everard hn ' Thurri, Governor of Fiji, proves that -the -colony over which -he exercises, authority is in a very healthy condition commercially. The revenue for 1907, was the largest ever recorded, exceeding .the amount, for 1906 by £15,717." The growth in the revenue steady for ten years; The ,: surplus of revenue over expenditure ■fpr lasCyear amounted, to £22,990. . The' trade ! returns , also show remarkable; increases over previous years. In 1906 the total trade amounted to £1,212,906. Last year -the total was £1,524,971. The sugar exported in 1907 was 'greater by £^255,622 than, that of 1906,7whi1e: the value, of the .copra crop exceeded that of the previous year by £39^105. Fiji, therefore,? experienced unusual prosperity during last and it ißhopedthat as the hurricane season has passed without, inflicting, any great damage on the islands, the present yearvwill .eclipse in all-round prosper'ityj the reputation of its predecessor. ■i. The present' Governor proposes ..to ' inaugurate schemes for the further development of the colony, and among these may be mentioned the, construction of a leper asylum, and the- rbi construction of the, prisons; the pverhauling of the sanitation . of Suva, and the "reclamation, of its f qresliore ; "tie' consiruciion oi new roads across some^bf the islands; the subsidising of steamers, with a view to improved inter^uisular communication and com r municatidh with the outside world ; the installation of wireless telegraphy stations, and a complete survey of the islands. ; The lagt undertaking appears to be'desirable for the reasons: given in his speech to theLegis•latiye Council recently.' Sir Everard yim'JThurnl called attention to the i^onprmous ..quantities of. native-owned '/: anil European-owned ': landy ; which , still-remain uncultivated and neglected; arid strongly urged the desirable- : ness of making them immediately .available . for development. Turning the subject of the colony's trade, it appears, that atpreseht about fourfifths of it is 'with the -; Australian c'olomes;knd'New. Zealand,' and, as there -is-" "no .direct communication trade with „ii Jiecessarily ; passes . through ' those ,colome.s also.' .But,, with the adoption of imprpyed. ; means of tion; and a. fuller utilisation '.of :sur-plus-lands, the possibility exists of a "very much greater expansion of trade than' is 'attainable under present, coriidiitidris. In addition to sugar, copra and fruit, Fiji is capable of produc-

ing; cotton and other fibres of excellent quality. Indeed, the cotton trade was a thriving one tip to the year 1882, after which the quantity exported gradually fell Off, its place, apparently, being taken by f ruit, far TV-Jiicli- &' j>;roiit»l?lo . zltlcl -ready zxi£kr-3£e-b was found in the Australian colonies.: Judging, however, from the nature of the recent reports by the director of the Imperial Institute, on samples of hemp,.repeived by him for examination from Fiji, this article of commerce may. before long be expected to take a prominent place among the other indus Ties 6f the colony* Sugar; fruity and copra {are). hßwever ; , Stillths three staple exports of the" 6bidiiy; and /when it it. stated that while in 1875 (the y£af afte'f ahhexatibn) the vaiue of sugar exported was only ' £3417 i in 1907 it was £60§,820, another proof of the remarkable progress of Fiji is supplied. •