A CLOUD IN FIJI.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 424, 5 February 1909, Page 5

A CLOUD IN FIJI.

THE INDIAN COOLIES.

CRAVE UPRISING THREATENED.-

COULD IT BE "QUELLED? 1 ; ' , . ;teX. TEZiEGEAPH—SPEciiIi ; ;-'i- *'' Auokland, February i. ' ' .Til© Suva, correspondent of tho/'Herald" have;. i i<been rumours'of an Indian rising in. the ■ mip : lihe~"'country, j '■ ,fleen. : able. tx) seize -/rhoyl)ig-.' . ■. Sangblia KW; Inm?n-ipn^ig]||vnts!This vessel is.' re- v \ ;P9rt«d ;by, local compatriots to;-havo several-> r !*®l conie ashore and :\nflamev;; ■■-: i$Q. on - the; ■ S?:,a; bit< ofyiyhat is;called-;< ii? ;''by?aar. ; gap..'';: On/".■',•: j'tiSft'BW£?ffi u V?»-Wh'ite.r^ irW?i.,W the '.6bTOrameireT* : 's jpas.'alr#dj'_-bMii': t!ie*:<alKl..'{SSmVl' ; i ? - 5-1— 0 'I®■.1®■.'Ipre.senfc'afc/LaTitolca'Ba, v ..; jLabasa,. and-: Nausori coolies•■ outnumber . wh ttesr.by JianVIOO Vto'. : l,';so-- f .' v lt.vWill ,be'seen-that the', Situ-atibh .'is >anugly" !one,:if ofr'thi?, ,nwlo., r jadult -.Europeans o,utsjdp;;Suya jarp members * T: ;; ,of local,nfie-<slu'bsr-sn.iLpl>sslass Lee-oMe'foids.; v i n-i .-- Ithe; jean' on. to'stand> loyally"::to - the -wKitog V'in' :a -trouble of.; .this v'kind;-.- -. '■ ;"i .I'hey..,bays.. thp.-,.iit,mp.s|' contempt foi ■i; :jw; -dipn; WJ'-L.n,; ;S6meeighteen' months-'or so ; ago",a'lot''. : of ; P {Punjabis 3sji! jn. a^cotilie' v ; ; been;. ]eU'/ that ?|]ieir :■ ;te; % -v-jj; ture (as is r natural- to :tho Punjabi);-- Instead" jof-that! 'they, /found, .that; they. jojit. •• [Madrasis, r and.;Calcufcti;;and;;Bombay r ;i^Tes..> (This, annoyed -them greatly, ; and : wlien-at : 'Ea- ; j^as]i : -^eyvfQunjj.i,that > ;.their; Jparty .was ;t<)^be„ !sPihj&bis'"Bwke- } T plfy.. 'axjd threatened. - white .; j9fScej^:i^;da^e';roPstiie-aiiff-a^if-rKi^s/V----#olfi».r #6nj>' .'village., fat. 3^£,*/.[fo'rc'emep.ts! 'natjveg ;,(soipe (old-tiiiie/ ff.ar-'.'dresa);' in -'qTiick-vtiTuej-.bGarrng . sho.tj^ilsVJfa^ jnerhpf : ,Wi'piS[nt?: t -'sbbute^ ! -. i V, and. their. leanied that there. -tp'.W .nopfißbt ' their faocs -fell and ..tlioy, went ihomo ; sadly disap-" ; poirfl-6'd." : ■•.-.'•rr . .(pSbonld/anyvVsuch\ou® cated, 1 : the .white 'population would bo in yeiyTgiive pefiLindeo'd: ' l';'.".: : r .ii "4LM'->; ; 1.

A SOJQUf?N; AMONC THE COOLIES.' ' TERRIBLE STATE OF THINGS* [BY A DOSIJNJON REPORTER.]n i.'-.j V:," ■■•■■«. . a member bf;THE DoMntioif ;staff visited tho places ihehtioned'iiv.tKe'fbreigoing; message, ja^ne the" indiaiT %nip aVEN ausori. " Inquiries made 1 ":;;: deft that an Indian uprising, in ■ r :Fiji ; is'quite on - the'; cards unless either tho Imperial Government. or the Government of ■India,"or /'the -Legislature of Fiji, itself, take; "Stepa""to" "alto r'" t lie' conditions'' under Svhich !lnman.'-co6liesV'..'aire';in'dmtdred'';'tb'....-Fijr''emfv'''': : '.' iployers.: ■ ; whose -l?u'Bpi^ ; : rwith.tho/ca^-o'-nipe-iiailsj : ."" the. frightful calendar "presented : a.t each Bit- } ting of tlip Supremo. .Gooirt• at. Suva; are all ; "indications-■"'pointing 'the ' same, "way.'-' ■'•'The'-'l.";--. rferocity of.'the,ftttaoks,bh v pv®seers-is. a: .grii®'BtoVy-.thatjit,'ceiijd,.hardly:,be',presentedi,. ' in; : aiiy New ,Zealand journal, and- it is only;.' ' ineiitionedi iemfta.'ievidencßl.thatjOif' Xaii" iip-j '■' /rising idid' .ocburj' the', history of It would make> ~ ; very, 1 bad reading. - It ; is not likely ', that this; , ■ particular-.inbvem'ent -will .'comb' ito" anything|; ' . 'but; inless' soihetKin'g' is/done :in the. matter ;6f.''fie'iidri ; ing ba'ck 'to'lfiaia) great; . 1 ie,volt is certain, the number of- In'dians' in' 1 the 'fiji 1 gronp numbered 35,000/ as' against a'-whitc population o( ' , jleS /ship t : 6' ! the l! wh{tes is 'correctly, vouched in tli.e-telegrapljic njespage)- p\npbered about ■ 'rising took.'placeda^ihey.r'are.ttbtally; un4V' • iarme.d. The grave feature; about the. V ; "ti'on''of Viooliev-lahbur:intois' that tiin'ef t : . Indians .are allowed, to remain after , -their years) is finished!. iThus i ejach; tramp; :kea'nier, which iii the baj' of 'Suva adds an absolute quota to • the . sum- total.; As to weapons, the coolies i\aye_.the:;.plantatipnLjmjplem'erits-r-the : long' of . the. :.. 'whites. i ttfe , -fearefely''A\ , prth speaking of. The .poorest in... New., Zealand'. :.v could -rout- the .total armed force "in 'iFiji. iii «; iess .thhn.fan' houK;' lTie 'Fiji, * ;abo'iitiSo"6r .60, all told;, and-most'.'of. them are The Suva. Riflo' Club avo' oixly a handful.". Given tho slightest combination between f;the : MoHam- ; ; "medan' and Brahmin ;coolies,- ;s.nd- the whole •• ■gr.Qup ;wouldbe the.'' nvhites~mnrderfid.; ; .• •'* -jj j '■•r A •'• WSlington yc'ontempprary ; in «publishing<Vthe, message up "the heading'.'f ;, bo treating _ a "grave : : subject in., a T |but rit- ias;;- been ;; found- from' ; ex- 1 perieiice .' tKat. jrb,\.ifu3eral. "^-wiE,»rnot' : ' always'- marcli, appibsti,a.telS : tb~tte;.iniMic ret'a tin \vhistie. The Indians in Fiji are not : '. mongers o'f"sedition," but rather 'peoplo ■driven treatr-.„ ;i : ment. .of officials ■ who-: | : |standtheni; ■ as. ■ r.egu.jarly : ; '.gained^ Indian; 1 : .iolficers-'Jdo. "fis ■hear of a; -'with the cat for a;'.first" 'some ~ 'bld'oifender, ..broughtriif^atMttitigS.^aSday; •later/' is'';.seutWn^,' ; :t«.'pceiv.o;yo!dy^jten.". " lit .may-be:-addeU:that . ; cat 'oil - ..'figures :;.strapped>up .to„tlie,?is ,- very, : sbrere ; /pne,V and-fproportionate-sentences do not'escape' tico ; .;df 'the^'. 'eeplies&£^.■■'the- 5 fpiir->'.prinoipal,?T.>; camps—Lautbka,j^liero' , .'tHe';Cpt6fiial;~SUga^t3. ,-brother. coolie; is, triced "iip. to the"'tnan^esV-^'v All right}"sßi4A?iito'."iio by "and .by,' : j;<>ii;; is, of course;'to a'general rising. ; '■■' • Diuing.our.roportcr's,visit, overseers were knocked over, jight' anijeft, 'and L!ii^tbl(as";andthe Indians 'secret of the -fact' tHaij'i.they-'had. ultimately - " ■ ,ih; View..a:irising!on.%larger;scale.; further evidenced by^■li«/fac€:l;Ka^altlsJAi^ii'-i'. : . 'the .; -adan.(when the'_fallihg.of:.a' str^woU^or-'';; i'dibarilj' precipitate a. figliFbewv'een the coolie""" -againstii;'" .tho', c6nui<«i? '«nemj-.'- It c is? .well-knC'Rlt > m 8- ; Fiji thab-tlie lo'ug~arm.:of'tli& Govorn!raoAt'9f tndia has repeatedly, intervened to-Bave the icoblies- from" extreme ill-t.reatmwt, : : th'ey-are aw\ire,.' Colonial Ofiico-has - also-once or-.twice"been co'mpelled : "tt "make",changes',iii Vilie! v-•.' Tliov.adininistratiyo.. bb'dy. ; 'of,'.tlie' , grOT^ moinberSjJipf w.hibli;l2 by .tlito' Government : ..and„ six, elected. " Tbq,',,' nomineesi are. very .'arid',',';6nxnjanr!y;..j>vffl7",;9uestiqn^ ■>vards"a. by.-,ty(ily6Tyb'tes?Cs of"? things even tho ;\vhito_residonts aro crying out, and .they, all profess' extromo willingness Sv for federation with''Now--Zealand, - as .-.wai-'-v.. talked about somevtuhei'agoi;': . But tho barriers they ■fraidSi'-Nvith - respect;..to federation . seem to: bo insuperable.Vv.i;The v v state that thoy will not toleratei largo portion of our .-.[aavanoed" legislation. antj-tiioy.'are averse to imaking themselves responsible,, in any"d<?~ 'gree.for pur ; Stato debt'.", Oh tho'other liand v '5 it; is'ifiMrtliy-.-■welcome; alm^t',any ;pha,ni;}| r .!'aftd'''ttey \ire'-^' always pliascd „t9,,h;ear British public-benig'-made ■twvaj'e v ef their miseries/ ) receivof!"our. : repre«e'nti with.nh'oseilitj'x'-and ''bxtrerao'. , suspioion;' r: 6ut*' '•'•=" . <uice r they uadorstood that ■ there waa uo de. < : .' : ■

:: ?• are to do other' than the correct- thing, their •-r. '.: word ■ was. :-, always the same—"Akbar men ,(t. their invariable expression, 4 To tho public executioner they bear a feel- • ; <ing : which< is difficult' to'describe;^buti it is a . coinmon sight on: tho westward road from • "' Suva to see them part right and; left 1 and run' to:tho. side of tho: road.wliilo. ho^passes, along '/< :!iii towards ■tho "Suva.- gaol' v'l'hoy - seem to -be-' • 7 (t-.v lieye thar-vsomo -Divino ivengeance'(probably ;i:':ij: ; le^i^>mllvqya^aKo.<lunr//^ ;'.'-'';do:not ..dread/tho' infliction of' the extremo . ' ;: ! I»nalty. of 'tho - ia}r/''tliQ* ; seem"to 'shun'.tho by;iwho^;hahd r; '*.«."'■■• '*By i 'kind .permission.' of the-. German • vicev':;Gp.yerrior/bf Saihoa, : our-. representative was. W^'giyMSbpportiiliity^ ~ -"'(ministration :of ;Ghineso coolio 'labour m the patriotid?: : 'Britishinstinc tM-tlib ;/^order : i?S'?-■'^^1 | Kf:^9r^gviH''Stimba i^niiß7'as! : :a;-shfaieT'| contrast . .to /the''mal-admimstration : ip The Ghineso- ccralies in Samoa' are'very v : > "different men- from the humble vegetable-ped-1 dler in Wellington. . They /are strongly-built k men from Swatow: and:_ Shantung;, and;': on | - their first arrival;- are-'impudent: and''ready i: to draw a ■ knife on overseers. But ■ without . '.any,-severity, worth speaking of, • they ' are .■"■vf soon cured of - that,,while their protection ; agairst unjtist overseers and planters is al- ' most-jjerfect.'. At tho end of their three : .years'. indentur9,thGy.areret-nrned r toChina .. . ; instead_ of being, allowed to: remain m evet- . •<• . increasing numbers to-swamp tho'whites.,: