BUSINESS IN FIJI

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 10298, 5 June 1919, Page 5

BUSINESS IN FIJI

SERIOUS LABOUR OUTLOOK. Business in tho Fijian Group is very quiet (states tho Suva correspondent of the "New Zealand Herald"). Tho quarantine regulations have seriously affected imports, and the shipping strike threatens to cause greater difficulties, as all the merchants are short of supplies and white sugar, potatoes, bacon, etc., have been for 6ome time unobtainable.

The great shortage of labour, owing to the stoppage of the importation of indentured Indians, is threatening the colony with a grave crisis. Certain visitors hnv.~ made damaging statements abrord as to the treatment of the Indians here, and raised a storm of hostility iti India among the official natives, which it, will take years to overcome. Somo of these statements are half truths—always dangerous. On the other hand, there aro evidences of comfort and well-doing cverywhore among the Indians. The women—even those indentured —aro seen wearing silver and gold jewellery on arms, ankles, necks and noses and ears, and many aro dressed in silks. During their second five years, the Indians can take up land, and many have cows and horses, and sulkies, while some, who camo hero without an anna, own motor-cars. Tho lack of labour- is threatening both the sugar and the copra industry. There are copra estntes of groat .-tren. One planter has 68,000 acres under nuts, with hardly enough labour for half that area. The sugar oron this year lias been .spverelv affected by hurricanes, so that the output this coming reason must be light.