The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1872-01-27
The Labor Question In Fiji and
Queensland.

DEAR ADVERTISER BY late files I see that you
view the transactions Of certain Immigration
Agents - in search Of labor in the South Seas in
much the same light that the best colonial papers view
it. The murder of the missionary Bishop Patteson
has caused a great deal of discussion in regard to the
manner of obtaining laborers for Queensland and
FIJI, and the system in vogue has been unsparingly
denounced as " slave trade s"
By late Melbourne papers I find that n public
meeting had been called " to consider the desirable
ness of memorialising Her Majesty the Queen on the
subject Of the labor traffic in the Pacific, 10 which is
attributable the violent deaths Of Bishop Patteson
and others" The Mayor in opening the meeting
stated that = s he most earnestly desired to witness the
putting down Of this unholy traffic"
The Rev. DR.. Macdonald said that " he only won
dered that the natives had not risen up and cleared
the islands of all the white men. The loss Of such a
life as that Of Bishop Patteson was an incaleulable
loss, and he should not be using too strong language
if he said that rather than lose such q life, perish
eUery sugar and cotton plantation" Prom a pri-
yare letter from Melbourne | am permitted to make
the following extracts eve have recently had a
visit from an old resident Of FIJI who spent two
weeks here on his way TO the old country, via Ceylon
and Suez. This gentleman contends that the system
of obtaining laborers is misrepresented, and that the
natives Of many of the South Sea Islands are glad 70
GO to Fiji to earn something. He is a very pleasant
and Intelligent man, but | could not help feeling that
his self interest, as a large cotton planter, somcwhat
Influenced his views, although | believe him to be
unite honest in his opinions. lie gave me one very
interesting piece of in Information that might prove
useful to the statesmen Of Hawaii. We were speak
ing Of the new government recently formed in FIJI,
and I asked him how the government obtained a rev.
enue to support the King and his European Cabinet
He said that in the first place that every body on the
island paid a poll tax, and that recently the govern
ment had conquered some Of the rebelliOus or hostile
natives Of the interior, taking a thousand prisoners,
who were condemned to labor for six years and that
the government sold their labor at $50 per year.
So YOU see that they are assured Of a revenue Of
$4,000 a year for six years at any rate. Further
more the government is about TO attack some other
rebels. and if they take 5000 Of these desperate
criminals captive, as they hope to do, they will not
inhumanly blow them from the mouths Of their great
guns, but, tempering justice with mercy (and thrifty
they will ~prudently prevent them from eating the
cotton planters, and instead Of permitting them to
retari the progress Of the new born state, by feasting
on the apostles of civilization, they will be made use
full to the world and profitable to both cotton planters
and the state"
Az one who reioices in every indication of progress
YOU will feel, as | do, that this is a master stroke OF
policv. To have converted those cruel canuibals into
bonedust and fertilizing material. the whole thou
sand, at the price of guanO would have realized a
very small sum but now their influence for good
may be likened into a perennial plant yielding fruit
for many wears. READER.