To Supply a Want in Fill.

Thames Star, Volume XIXI, Issue 3613, 26 July 1880, Page 2

To Supply a Want in Fill.

The following is a copy of a circular which has been forwarded to the principal planters, merchant!, and settlers by the Colony of Fiji, and apeaka for itself. The necessity for an independent journal in that Colony now so rapidly progressing is being felt by all classes, and so it is probable capital sufficient will be sub*, scribed as suggested by the circular:— Le? uka, 14th June, 1880. Gentlemen,—lf you paid any attention to the articles which have appeared recently in the Fiji Times, you cannot fail to be impressed with the altered tone of that journal; and from the manner in which it has lately eulogised the Government and government officials, it cannot be looked upon now as a settler's paper, especially when so many acts of injustice I are allowed in silence to be perpetrated 1 against honorable and upright men. Ever since I hare been in the Colony I 1 have always been led to believe that the Fiji Times was in opposition to the Argus —the latter being in the interest of. the Government,—but it appears I was mistaken. It is said now continually that the Fiji Times is " muzzled; " and lam beginning to think that such is the case myself. Of course, I have no wish to dictate to toe editor, nor have I any fault to find with his accepting a lucrative appointment from the Governor, (although the proprietor's chief supporters are the settlers and not the Government) but I have an undoubted right to advocate the starting of an opposition;paper; and my

object io now addressing this circular to you is to ask that you will allow me to pat down yoar name as a subscriber for a certain number of shares in the concern.. Before any active steps are taken there should be a meeting of subscribers called to consider the course of actiou. The paper might be named, "The Fiji Planters' Gazette and Mercantile Advertiser," and it should hare a capital of £5,000 in 500 £10 shares, but it would be unnecessary to call up more than half that amount. The price of the paper should i be Threepence a copy, and there should I be three issues per week, riz., Tuesday. Thursday, and Saturday. We should appoint correspondents in every other Crown Colony in the world, also' in London, Sydney, Melbourne, and New Zealand, but we could not afford to go to any expense for telegrams. An Editor should be engaged at a salary sufficiently high to make him independent of any outside employment;. and the size of the paper might be, at first, limited to two sheets of demy. If any reason is wanted why such a paper should be started, I merely point to the fact of a policeman , being allowed to make such grave charges as were made recently against a number of gentlemen at Baki Baki, all of which prored to be groundless, and not a word has been mentioned in the Fiji Times about them. The policeman, how? ever, is still in office, ready to offer similar insults to settlers whenever opportunty ocean. I also point to the Lending Article which appeared on the 6th of March, and ask you to contrast it with that published on the 29th May. On the former day it was stated that the subjectmatter would be followed up by other Articles of the same description, but. this has not been done. An independent journal would also be able to remove the stigma attaching to us of not being allowed trial by jury, a state of affairs which no men of spirit would longer submit to. . . . -■_■ „- . During the last two months there have been dozens of subjects of the greatest importance to: the settlers, not one of which' has been referred to in the Fiji Times, and now thai a more independent spirit is springing-up among the planters, owing to the settlement of their -Land Titles, we shall be able, if we are ;unani< mous, to east to the wind the ridicule to which we are now subjected. ', ■•