Pacific Islands

Horowhenua Chronicle, 28 August 1916, Page 3

Pacific Islands

I HE KEI'OItTEiD DEMAND EO'lt ANNEXATION.

The statement that two-thirds of the qualified doctors in Fiji hail signed a petition tor annexation by Australia or New Zealand was recently made by the Hon. W. A. Holman, Premier of New South Wales. 11) it is denied by the Suva correspondent ol the New Zealand Hei'ald. who .states that the secretary of ihe Annexation League has been challenged in the press ot F;.j: to produce this petition, which :s s.upposed to contain O'tn out ot the .•: ' qualified voters, but he remains discrcei.lv sib nl. Ii a vole were saken ot

the electors, your correspondent i> quite suti-liod tliiit the re-ult would be overwhelmingly itliix:it-t ;itiy such inm \- atiuii. aml ho makes this statement from personal observation. "A -cheiue of which more will be probably Heard, ho pioceeds. "in the near luture. h- on" in favour of a confederation of islands iu thi' Pacific, more particularly in Samoa and Tonga. Tt is one that ceiftiinly has a greater appeal to the residents than any annexation scheme. It is recognised that there i.s a eonimuuitv of interest between the islands, and it is believed that such a scheme would he of moat benefit to the partners of iUlv ,slleh confederation. Tt may not be known in New Zealand that the Rritish and neutral settles of Samoa have already sent a petition home to the Imperial Government asking '' 1 1 ' that island be placed under the Government oP Fiji. Tt is thought in Kip. however, that some form of federal government could be devised, which I could embrace the three groups.'