The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 1900. FEDERATION OF FIJI AND NEW ZEALAND.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXII, Issue 240, 5 December 1900, Page 2

The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 1900. FEDERATION OF FIJI AND NEW ZEALAND.

A very curioiis cable came to hand from Australia a few days ago refering to a most extraordinary speech delivered at the opening of the Waioibosbasi Hospital, Fiji,'!>y the Governor of that colony,. (Sir G. O'Brien). It is difficult to -understand how anyene holding such an exalted position, one in which he has every opportunity of being rightly informed, could be guilty (Sf so many misstatements. Under instructions from the Premier (Mr. Seddon) the speech has been printed and cirsulated by the Government Printer, and gives' a fair idea of the I efforts that are being made in unexpected quarters to injure the movement for the Federation of Fiji and New Zealand. Although Federation is spoken of, it will be seen that Sir G. O'Brien, in common with many others who discuss the qnestion, speaks as* if annexation was intended, not Federation. On the occasion referred to, addressing a large gathering of native chiefs, Sir G. O'Brien said, after referring to the erection of the hospital:— Talking of the Rewa water-supply, I may tell you what happened the other night in Suva at a meeting which was held in favour of Federation with New Zealand—that is to gay, in, favour of giving over to New Zealand this country of Fiji, which the Pijians gave to Her Most Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria. Well, at this Federation meeting mention was made of the Rewa watersupply. And what do you think was said about it ? Why, it was said: that it was absurd to supply you with water, ind that it was very wrong to havo spent the money that has been spent in ;doing so. It is said that all the villages that had been supplied lie on the banks of the Rewa, and that the Rewa water which was good enough for your forefathers was good enough for you. The Rewa water, by the way, as is usual in tidal rivers, is uncommonly brackish ; but never mind about that. And the speaker also said that lie was sure that every one at the meeting agreed with him that what he called tlis absurd Rewa water scheme was one on which it was very wrong to havo spent money, and which never would have been carried out by any kind of Government except the Government which you have. The people at the meeting did not contradict him, and I suppose that they all thought he wa3 quite right, for they were of the party that wish to give your country to New Zealand. Now, why do I mention this to you? It is in order that you may see how little se people know or care about the >jians. As, of course, you all know, -iio villages that hwe been supplied with water do not lie on the banks of the Rewa, but sro, many of them, many miles distant from the ltewa. j But what should people who wish to give your country away care abaut that, or eara about you? In those dials'": villages Fijian mea, or women, or uhi'r.ren, might by lying sick, or might oi! ovendyinf, and what about them? YVdi, the New Zealand Party has said that the Rswa water is good enough for them; so I suppose that if tliey are parched with thirst they ought to got up, if they can, and walk miles to the Rewa to find brackish water to quench t. That, I think, will show you pretty •learly, how much the New Zealand Party care about you and your we'farp. rhey pretend to be y-ur friends, I Rjoiow, aud they have their owr purpose

to serve by doing so. But I will tell you one thing, and that is this: When persons who have never during all their lives done a single thing to benefit you, all of a sudden appear to become very fond of you, and say to you they will do you all manner of good if you will only listen to their advice, you will do very well to ask yourself the question, "What is it that we liave got that these persons want to get from us?" If the chiefs and the more intelligent amongst you ask yoarselves the question, " What has this New Zealand Party got to gain from us?" you will not have to wait very long before you see the answer. You have the • land, my friends, and that iB what they want Ito get, and hope that they will get if | you are foolish enough to listen to them. It has always been the same ill every |Country ! uiider the kind of Government that there is in New Zealand—the white men have always taken the laad from the coloured owners. It has been so in New Zealand, where the land once all belonged to the coloured people. Who owns that land no vr 2 The white people have got nearly the whole of it. The coloured people,, are cooped up in the fragment of land that has been left to them, and many of thiam have no land at all. What has happened in New Zealand to. the coloured people's land will happen here, too, if New Zealand gets this country. But you have been told that if New Zealan'd gets -this country the natives will not have to pay native taxes, Of course, the persons who have told you this have done so to tempt you to l.iscen to them, in order that, if you are foolish enougli, you may, think it a- good thing that New Zealand' should .get this country. Therefore they tell you that if you were under the New Zealand . Government you would not have, to pa.y native 1 taxes. But they do not tell you that if you paid no native taxes you would, like the coloured people in New, Zealand, lose newly, all your land, for what, after all, are those so-called native taxes that you have to pay 3 I will tell you. They amount to less than ,£1 a head a year for each adult male, and they are t.he rent which tho Fijian people pay for the lands that they are not actually cultivating. Under the Act of Cession, by which the father of Boko Tui Tailevu, and the. other grant chiefs of Fiji, on behalf of themselves and their several tribes, made over the country ~to Her Most Gracious Majesty' Queen Victoria, it was agreed that the Fijians should keep the lands they were cultivating, and that all the rest should belong to Government. But when it was found that this did not please the chiefs and people, the Government allowed them Ito have ill the unoccupied lands, and in return got from them the small rent which is known by the name of native taxes, So you se?, ,if you were to cease to pay that rent you would also cease to own those lands, and they would be taken from you, as the lands have been taken from the owSers in New Zealand and other countries that are under the same kind of government. And What you have to think: pf is this: , Would 1 you rather go on paying your rent to this Government under the Queen, or have your rent remitted by the New Zealand Government, and lose your lands ? I know what your answer is: You would rather pay your rent and keep your lands. "Well, I will do what I can for you, by writing to Her Majesty the Queen; so that this country may not go to New Zealand, and that you may keep your lands. Bat when I tell you this I tell you also at the same time that you are all'to keep very quiet, and to give no sort of trouble. If any of were to give trouble, that would only make it easy for New Zealand to ; get your country, and for you to lose your lands. What there is to be said on your behalf I have already said to the Queen, and shall, if necessary, say it again. But, in the mean--1 while, I repeat to you and I charge you ,all to reautin quiet and peaceable, and to give no trouble either to white men or to any others, but to go about your own business and attend to your own aftaiis just as if you had never heard any question of New Zealand wanting to get this country. That is what you have got to do; and I, as your principal and head Chief, order you to doit.