FIJI SEEKING ADMISSION TO THE FEDERAL UNION.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3837, 2 November 1883, Page 4

FIJI SEEKING ADMISSION TO THE FEDERAL UNION.

The following, says the Sydney Morning Herald of the 15th instant, i.s the petition that has been prepared for presentation to Hor Majesty tho Queen :-— "Toiler Most Gracious Majesty Victoria, Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, Empress of India, &c, &c, &c. This, the humble petition of the undersigned, your Majesty's British subjects, residents in the colony of Fiji, respectfully showeth— "I. That your petitioners are colonists of Fiji, and are largely interested, commercially and otherwise, in the present and future prosperity of the colony. "2. That Fiji has been a British colony since the 10th day of October, 1874. "3. That the present population of the colony consists, it is estimated, of 110,000 native-born Fijians, and of 2500 European and other foreign residents, exclusive _of laborers introduced from other Pacific islands and from India. "4. That the Government of the colony i.s now administered by the Governor, with the advice of the Executive Council. " 5. That the Executive Council, as ordinarly consistuted, consists of the Governor, tho Colonial Secretary, the AttorneyGeneral, the Receiver-General, and the Agent-General for Immigration. "G. That the Legislative Council consists of tho Governor, and his Executive Council, the Honorable the Chief Justice, and other officials not members of the Executive Council, with certain gentlemen not connected with the Government, but who aro nominees of the Crown. "7. That all laws and ordinances passed for the Government of the colony are enacted by the Governor, with the advice of tho Legislative Council. "8. That the votes of the official members of the Legislative Council are recorded as His Excellency may direct, notwithstanding that their personal opinion may by at variance with his own. "9. That no member of the Legislative Council, other than the Governor, can propose any expenditure of money, nor reduce nor add to any amount proposed by him. 10. That since the constitution of the Government as not existing, no single ordinance has been passed when introduced by any non-official member. "11. That the revenue of the colony has now reached a total of at least £90,000 per annum ; that the Europeon inhabitants are the principal contributors, directly or indirectly, thereof, and that such revenue exceeds the present expenditure of the colony. " 12. That all appointments to offices and positions of emolument within the colony are made by the Crown alone; that a reference to the appointments made for some years past will show that only an exceedingly small prorortion of tho offices created have been filled by residents in the colony, and that in the great majority of instances preference has been given to cadets from England or Scotland, or persons from India. " 13. That your petitioners are denied all right of local self-government, and show that in the year 1877 provision was made for tho appointment of a Town Board at Levuka, so constituted that such a proportion of members should be elected by the ratepayers as to give them a majority in Town Council. That this system worked successfully when tried in Levuka, but that for the management of the town of Suva an officer of tho Government alone manages tho municipal business of the town and imposes and expends all rates. "14. That a reference to the statistics of the colony, and to other sources of information, will show that the European colonists aro as orderly, law-abiding, and well conducted as any other subjects within your Majesty's dominions. " 15. That your Majesty's subjects in this colony arc discontented and grieved that all right of being represented or beard in the councils of this colony is denied to them, and that they have no voice in the administration of tho government of the colon}-, the enactment of its laws, or the public expenditure. " 10. That with few exceptions the ordinances of the colony aro introduced to the Legislative Council and passed without prior publicity having been given to them, so as to allow discussion, and objection, or suggestion thereto to be mado through the medium of the public Press, or in other ways through the non-official members of the Council. "17. That the fact of the inhabitants of the colony consisting of so largo a proportion of native Fijians is no reason why the right ordinarily granted to British subjects of being represented in colonial councils of government should bo entirely denied to your Majesty's subjects in this colony. " 18. That, as there will shortly be assembled at Sydney, in tho colony of New South Wales, a convention of representatives of tho Australasian colonies, to consider the question of a general federation of the colonies, and the annexation of parts of New Guinea, and also certain other islands or groups of islands in the Western Pacific, tho time has therefore seemed to your Majesty's petitioners opportune for praying from your Masjety's Government considertion of their present political position. In furtherance of which object your petitioners have memorialised the said convention now about to moot, and havo requested thorn to assist your petitioners in obtaining the objects herein set forth. " Your petitioners therefore now humbly pray:— "1. That .your Majesty will see fit in the event of the Australasian colonies bocoming federated to constitute the colony of Fiji an integral portion of Federated Australasia. "2. That in the event of such federation not being now immediately accomplished, your Majesty will see fit to allow the colony of Fiji to become incorporated with one of the Australasian colonies as now existing, with the consent of such colony. "3. Or, that your Majesty will sec fit to grant to tho British born subjects resident within the colony complete relief from the humiliating condition in which they arc at present politically placed. "4. That such relief bo granted with due regard to the preservation of all existing rights and privileges of the native races inhabiting this colony. "And your petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray, ifcc. " Dated in Levuka, Fiji, this 19th September, 1883."