FIJI LABOUR TROUBLES.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3421, 27 February 1920, Page 7

FIJI LABOUR TROUBLES.

CLASHES WITH INDIANS. TROOPS DISPFTSE MOBS. SUVA (Fiji), Feb. 17. The New Zealand. Heraldfs correspondent writes:——'l‘nere is no one left in the large -.=.4\J‘A.eS but the owners and a girl or two. Business has practically stopped. Everybody ‘is a special constable. There is mild lexcitement in the air, and nervous ,people shut their doors at night. 1 Taking a stroll after dark through lsome of the pretty hilly roads in the suburbs, one is either bailed up at every corner by a sentry’s "\Vlqo goes there?” or a patrol of four or five bright young lads armed with clubs pass breezily by. The sentries have loaded rifles and glistening bayonets, and on the Victoria Parade lights gleam everywhere. From the City Hal] come the strains of a gramophone and the hum of 3. song by a %boy from Maoriland, for we have the New Zealand Government vessel in the bay. the Tutaneksfififiafi she has disei. Jarked 60 artillerymén and six Lewis guns, and she] carries heavier artillery fol3"an‘emergency."j" Further along gthe Boys’ Grammar School hullls-.':VVith“bllStle. It is headquarters. Here Colonel Hall is offir.-er commanding, and a dozen motor cars and motor waggons are “parked” in front. Sometimes the telephone lines hum, and lads in khaki come pouring out, and in five minutes 20, 30. 40, are off three. five, eight miles out like a flash. Sometimes a machine 3;-2,111 flashes after the sciuad.

1 There is an Indian “strike” on. It ?it. nominally a demand for more mon~="’ ,'—it is really a, war against white Erule, fomented by a clever rascal LEI-om India, who has been working up 'the agitation for years. , The Indians cut the telephone wires to Rewa. so a Wireless sparlzs on the roof of the school, while another has been installed at Nzmslori, on the Rewa River, where the C.S.R. Company's mill is. . DEFENCE FORCE MOBILISED. Three or four hundred Fijians lm\‘e been brought in from outlying dis» tricts, and are being hastily drilled, and there are nearly 100 white special constables. The defence force has been mobilised, and besides the two native platoons there are two or‘ more of Whites and half-castes. J

I The Government some time ago ‘idisbanded the country rifle clubs. and withdrew rifles and ammunition. Nsxv they have dispatched a supply for the few W-hites at country centres W.‘-7‘.‘e. the Indians are numerous. That is how matters stand, and yesterday the sloop of war (mine sweeper) Marguerite arrive-51 from Australia. The Indian leaders acknowledge that advantage was taken of the engineers’ strike in Australia. 'l‘l:ere have been a few covllisions, but clubs have quietened the mobs, axed -some 200 Indians have been arrested. No resort so far has been made to fir-r:— arms.

HISTORY OF ‘THE TROUBLE. The Indians, mostly of the lowest and most ignorant type, came here under indenfure for five years, with :1 further five years’ free residere-e. Most of them, howcrzr, stayed _.n, and to-day the Indian community is a really well-to-do comfortable crowd. The few thousands still under inden‘ture were released of their agreeninfs on January 3. The planters need more labour, and “a mission” is in India trying to induce further emigration. To further placate the Indians who made m'a.n_v demands at a meeting at Suva on Boxing Day. The Government further =lgl‘eed‘to two Indian members On the Legislative Council, to \be elected by the Indians. ' Wages for common Indian labour ran fl‘om 28 t 0 23 (id :1 day. The Indian leaders talked of ss, and even more. No demand was made on the employers. however. and wi.‘-out warn in«_r Il]C‘ Indians stopped work in Suva, on the Rewa, and at Navaua, WllCl‘C

hlie l<‘iji~Vancouver mill is (with 4500 Indians in the Nirvana district). The dock and house boys, and store and other town hands continued work. Then they were all told or threatened that if they dick not cease work by Februal'_y.l they would be beaten. The Government received '3, deputation of supposed leaders. The Governor pro. mised {L commission to inquire into the wages question and cost of living. ana-_ the deputation promised to try to get the men to return to work, The men did not resume work, but the commission has held five sittings. The evidence‘: supplied was really ridiculous. ~l\lell said they earned 11s (id .3. week and spent £2 6/ on food. The minimum ration for :1 single man was given at 2911) of sharps, rice, and dhall, with vegetables, milk, and a long list of other things weekly. An old planter swore that if an Indian ate all that he would not be able to work.

I;VIPUDEN’I‘ AND ARROGANT. Then threats \\'cr.; made to tllolo_\f'.ll “boys,” and an Indian \Vomen’s Association took '3 hand. They \\'a.y—laid and bl'utally ill-used some men. mutilated fhcm and 'z\cting» more like ghouls than human boings—pul'cly Bolshovik.

On January 29 :1 mob invzxded ‘the town to punish a. European. The native police and I'etufl!'cd soldiers boat tihem back with clubs. Matters got wal'mel'. Everywlmlié the Indians were illlpl_lr.‘.<:-11t and zlrrogant. The women began to Visit business promisog ‘:9 get at loyalists.

Then on Tuesday :1 special (.‘.ollSt‘3.l.)l*._‘ a lad froin a (}ovol'lllllullt oflico, trim] to arrest: the le2ldol' of one of these harpy hands, when hLlndl'eds of men spl':l‘llg up from <?\'el'y\\'h(-I'o. This was ill the Illdi'all suburb of Toomk. The “spec'l:ll” and four 11z1fi\.ro collstz-lblos had 3. bad HlllO, but other “SpCcizl‘lS" were rushed up. thnn police with rifles, then Inilitar_\~' and mach'lllo guns. Fully 2000 Indians, armed with sticks and stems, wel'cl figh.tillg mad. Some men. and w-01111311 had knives. Thirty 01' forty “spccials" with fiddling littlé batons and th enative police fillally‘al'l‘ostvd 151 111011 and 12

women. SEVERAL EUR-OPEAN.‘S INJURED. An old man, George Pilkington, who gallantly tried to "elp the lad, had an arm broken, h.u’l was seriously injured. Mr Savage, of the Customs, gtell, and while down was b:'utall_y itreated, and was taken unconscious to the hospital. Mr Charlie Caldwell. of the 'i'.‘reasury, received a knife ‘wound and other cuts on the head, an-l lone ‘arm was broken. Others had labrasions. No one was killed. , The next day four bridges on tne ‘main road to Rewa were damagetl, iplanking torn up. ete., and the tele’phone line was cut. Three of the l -.'idges were repaired, and '3. mounted squad brought in the E"‘.ropeans from Nosinn, where the Indians were threatening. On Thursday a mob of between 200 ‘and 300 at b.T*;lniabnla ret'used to disperse for the militar_\;' crying out "‘Slsootl Sliont!“ Finally 30 or 40 “Specials” charged them. .\[any Inldians were injul'e<l, and the crowdi ‘dispersed. The same evening a crowdi /‘at Lami was dispersed and 15 were arrested. Much anxiety was felt for the settlers up the Rewa R-iver,_ along 60 to 70 miles of country, the Indians [being very numerous and '73ry threatlening. One or two large gatherings jwere dispel'Sed by the firmness and »t:iet of the dis‘.'rict commissioner, and a. display of t'orce. with a'i_naeliine—gun, \'\,\:‘ inadp one night. Now a strong militar_v post is establishedl at Nousori. and relief parties can bei despatched up the river as required. Ever_vthing is now reported quiet. A number of agitators -are under arest, and it is likely that the leaders will be drastically dealt with soon. The main body of the eoolies is composed of quiet, hard-working men: with no desire for fighting. A special Lzssion -of the Legislatixel Council last week passed an Ordinance, giving wide powers to the Governor and police, and making‘ all meetings of Indians illegal, and the position is now well in hand. There is no doubt that the agitation is a political. one. The natives hate‘ the Indians, and are supporting the Government loyally. A section of the Indian .le.aders has appealed to the people ‘to go back to work.