"NON-CO-OPERATION."

Shannon News, 15 May 1923, Page 2

"NON-CO-OPERATION."

FIJIAN POLITICAL, CRISIS. LEG ISL ATI V E COUN CIL ADJOURNED Fiji is Diet'd just now''with k most serious political crisis. ( *'v ng : H.o alleged interference l‘i on , 'owning Street, elected member, of ti.j Legislature have refused to sit in the Council until assur d by ll;e S 'cretary of State for the Colonies Hint he .will never do it again. It is sur gested t'hat if no such undertaking :■ given the white people of Fiji will refuse to pay taxes, writes the Suva eon espondem . of the "Sydney Sun’ on April 12. The facts leading - up to tlie presold dcad.oek are as fo'low: Mr E. Knox, rep relenting the C.S.R. Company, went - Home, and then im tervivwed Mr Winston Churchill, the Secretary of State for the Colonies. Mr Churchill fold Mr Knox thin he would then and there abolish the export duty on sugar and molasses for the current y.ar—155,000. This was done without consulting - either the Governor or. the proper authority—the Fiji Legislative Council. In the arrangement came to the ears oi the paid.

Mr Knox returned to Sydney via Suva, but not one word of tins secret arangement came to the ears of the elected ‘members.

At the meeting of the Legislative Council, which - opened on Tuc day last, the Governor made Lie folio - .ingroference In liis Addrcs~: "I shall deal in a message to the Council witli the eonsideralions v.'dc'i hav ndienced the Government in agreeing, sui ject to the (.’onnoil’s consent: to the r-'in aal of these (sugar ex'port) duties.” This message (No. 2) stated 1 hat the export duties have to be aboli lied as from April 1.

UNJ USTIFIABLE VIOLATION

The disclosure of such a direct attack upon the right's and pr vil 'ges of the Legislative Coimei at once set till! town and the elected members in a blaze of indignation. The local press call d upon the elected members fo protect the rights of constitutional government at a.l hazards. The House adjourned to perm t of the elected members to prepare their Address in Reply. The Council reassembled on Friday, when the Address in Reply was read by Sir Maynard Hedstrom (the senior member). The elected members prior to the reading had, without’ comment agreed to the amending ordinance repealing th e export duties on sugar and molasses as the colony was comm tted to the bargain. Rut they had something - to say in protest of the attack by the Secretary of State on the privi.eges of the Council. After referring to a previous interfer nee by Air Churchill in the financial affairs of the colony against which the elected members at the time Cast year) -had vigorously pro--1 s'od, and Mr Churchid had replied: • The fa. : In re to lay the proposal before them was due to a misunderstanding of my instructions and that I had no intention of departing from the usual practice in such matters,” the Address w nt on to say: “In the present instance Ihe principle transgressed is the same, but the amount involved, and all the circumstances make the ease all Ihe more serious. In our opinion the action of the Secretary of State in undertaking to dispose of the funds of the colony without lirst obtain ng 11 ui consent of the Legislative Council is an unjustifiable violation of (lie rights and privi.eges of ties Council. No such serious infringement. of these rights has been at- (• in; led since a measure of elective representation was grant 'd, to this colony.

THU GAUNTLET.

"If your Excellency, under instruction", had attempted to force the Legislative Council to carry out the wj sites ol' the S •eretury of State, we. the elected members, would, unitedly have resisted to the utmost, by every constitutional means in our power, and w ■ are confident that we should lia-re had, in that action, the strong- support of every section of the community. “The principle involved is so important. affectmg as if does the whole question Ol’ the constitutional governni.nt of the colony, that the elected members of the Counrtil 'arc not prepared to take any further part in the proved!. lgy of the Council until tlu-.v have received some definite assurance from Hie Secretary of State that similar infringement of the eonsflutional rights of the Council will be attempted in the future. We respcctfu.ly request your Excellency to transmit our views on this subject to the .Secretary of State by cable. Until the qu 'stion ra>sed has been settled, we dousidcr it inadvisable to express any opinion upon the other important questions referred to in your Excellency’s address.” WORSE MAY FOLLOW. The Governor, in reply to the address, deprecated the ‘‘attitude of non-co-operation" of members, and also "deeply deplored” it. His remarks generally made members a little angry. But he had to adjourn the Council sine die., disclaiming as he did so any r sponsibility for such delay as might occur in the transaction of business.