The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1875-09-04


THE NEWLY acquired British colony of Fiji,
under the administration of Sir Arthur Gordon,
is likely soon to make rapid progress in agricul-
ture, and more particularly in the production of
sugar. The soil of those tropical islands is OK
tremely wei. adapted for the growth of cane, and
there is, scattered through the group (of two
hundred and more islands and lslets) an abund-
ance Of rich land, generally well-watcred. The
numerous coral reefs that cneirele them and
intersect the channels in every direction, render
inter-island navigation smooth and pleasant
harb0rs are plentiful, and there are no surf
bound shores TO forbid the lading or u~nlading Of
produce and merchandise. In respect to natural
advantages and resources, they are far ahead of
the Hawaiian Islands. The proximity of the
new colony to New Zealand and Australia, i'm
portant sugar markets,-to which it occupies
much the same relative position in the South
Pacific that Hawaii does to California and Oregon
in the North-must have the effect to immensely
stimulate agricultural enterprises. There will be
no lack of funds or adventures to start the new
colony. The only obstacle to Fijian progress
now apparent is the want of good labor and this
difficulty Governor Sir Arthur Gordon is confident
he can remove. His residence and experience at
Mauritius leads him to speak confidently of a
scheme for introducing into FIJI any number of
coolies from India rs Iaborers on the plantations.
When emigrating, they will engage for ten years,
five with the planter who pays their passage and
the remaining five with any one with whom they
choose to contract. 1t is believed that the
planters will find this labor much more profitable
than that of the South Sea Islanders ON which
they at present rely. In view of these indica-
tons that FIJI is soon to become n large sugar
producing colony, the Auckland papers are rec
ommending the establishment of a refinery,
whereby that city viii become not only the centre
of the sugar trade, but obtain a corresponding
advantage in other valuable trade which the
importation of sugar would carry with it.
Thus it viii appear that FIJI, though starting
late in the race, bids fair to soon oyertake and
eventually outstrip Hawaii as a sugar producer.
She has q large extent of cane lands, an abund-
ance of British capital at hand awaiting an
opportunity for investment, and she is promised
an abundant supply of reliable labor. In these
important particulars. and especially in the
matter of labor supply, FIJI will have much the
advantage of Hawaii. Our area of land suitable
for cane culture Is much more limited than has
been represented: capital from abroad has not
as vet muUllSeltO u lCuuShG1 " lAfISE hNAS
(although it unquestiOnably will come as soon as
attracted by the causes which govern Its move
ments eyerywhere); and the general complaint
among our planters is the scarcity of labor. But
on the other hand, it may be considered that our
prospective reciprocity with the United States
will in some degree compensate for the disparity
between our advantages and those of FIJI. There
is at present nothing like free trade between the
colonies, but the products of each are taxed in
the ports of the other precisely as if coming from
q foreign nation. Thus the sugars OF FIJI will be
liable to duty in Auckland or Sydney, just as
are now the sugars of Hawaii, or any other
country. And in the matter of labor, it may
safely be predicatcd that with a free market Tor
our products, our planters will be able to pay
better rates of wages than they can possibly pay
nov, whereby not only the natives might find
induce4cnt to engage more readily in plantation
work and in larger numbers, hnt the enterprise