Fijian Council Split on Education Issue

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 830, 26 November 1929, Page 11

Fijian Council Split on Education Issue

SENIOR MEMBER OUT

ACTING-GOVERNOR’S ACTION

fc?UVA, November 21. Fiji is not free of political troubles. Following on events which happened in the Legislative Uouncil on November 15, Sir Maynard Hedstrom, the senior elected member, tendered to his Excellency Jf 1 * Acting - Governor, the Hon. A. W. Seymour, his resignation as a member of the Executive Council, request that the Secretary of State be informed by cable of such resignation. The Hon. A. W. Seymour has occupied the position rendered vacant by the departure of the previous Governor, Sir Eyre Hutson, pending the arrival of the new Governor. Sir Murchison Fletcher. The trouble arose over the question of education. European elected mem-

bers are not prepared to support the estimates of the Education Department, in the form submitted, until the estimates have been fully considered and adopted by the Board of Education. REGARDED AS EXPERIMENT According to the details of expenditure given the elected members understood that provision was made for 25 additional Indian teachers in 1930 and two Indian probationers. They pointed out that the policy of the Fijian Government in connection with, the extension of educational facilities was clearly set out in 1928, when the former Governor, Sir Eyre Hutson, then outlined a scheme for the development of Indian and Fijian which he suggested shoLild be spread over the five years commencing with 1930. Though European elected members appreciated the necessity for making provision for Indian education, they felt some doubt as to whether Government primary schools for Indians would be successful. It was felt that with the mixture of races and creeds among the Indian colonists, the establishment of these schools was somewhat in the nature of an experiment and should be initiated on a very small scale. In the Acting-Governor’s message relating to the subject, the following appear:—"The Indians, brought here not at their own instance, but for the benefit of the colony . . .”

The European elected members hold the opinion that the statement was inaccurate, mischievous, and misleading. They maintained that immigrants were recruited under the close supervision and control of the Indian Government, coming of their own free will.

Finally the senior elected member asked the Acting-Colonial Secretary for a definite statement as to the intentions of the Acting-Governor, but was informed that no statement would be made pending the discussion of the estimates in open council or in committee of council. SCENE IN COUNCIL On November 15. at the sitting of the Legislative Council, the ActingGovernor said that it was necessary, considering the misunderstanding which seemed to have occurred, to state that, on October 11, he submitted his draft estimates to the Executive Council (at which one unofficial member. Sir Maynard Hedstrom, was present) and approved. "I now adjourn the Council sine die,” added his Excellency. Sir Maynard Hedstrom jumped up and said he disagreed with his Excellency’s statement, and should have been given the right to reply. His Excellency left the chair without speaking. Fiji comment points out that if his Excellency wished to comment upon the action of the elected members in protesting against his proposal to provide nine Indian schools, in direct opposition to the scheme approved by Sir Eyre Hutson, the proper time to do so was when the Education Estimates were being discussed. But when he arose at the conclusion of the business he made a statement which. by inference, affected the honour of the senior elected member (Sir Maynard Hedstrom), and through him, of all the elected side. Such a charge was most improper, (1) because it revealed in part what had taken place in the Executive Council, whose proceedings were supposed to be secret; and (2) "he followed the insult up by closing Sir Maynard’s mouth when he abruptly added, T adjourn the Council sine die.’ ” Such conduct is without precedent, it is agreed, and Sir Maynard has been charged by pointed and serious inference with acting in an insincere and improper manner by protesting against something he was supposed to have agreed to in the Executive Council. The following morning Sir Maynard Hedstrom resigned, and the elected members also submitted to his Excellency a protest against his remarks while adjourning the Council.