The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1882-11-25
COLONIAL NEWS.
FiJI.

y
Of the appeals have been heard
thousands of acres of valuable land
have been secured to their owners
by indefeasible Crown grants, and
all we now want is enough capital
and labor to set us fairly on our
way. The former can be had readi'
ly enough if the latter can be sup
piled, and we shall do well to get
clear view of what Is before lis in
this matter, and to consider how its
difficulties may be most easily and
effectually overcome. The sources
whence our labor supply is drawn
are three in number-the native,
Fiiians, the so-called Polynesians
amongst whom, Ivy the way, there is
not Polynesian to be found), and
Indian coolies. OF these the first
cannot be expected to do much for
lis, though they may do ailittle.
According to the census of last year
they number ia, 635 all told, aud
these figures, should give us at the
outside from twenty to twenty-five
thousand able-bodied adult males.
These men are the mainstay of the
entire population as regards food
production, tax-paying, and the
service rendered to the chiefs, which
is theirs by ancient hereditary right,
and of which, under the present
condition of Fijian society, they
cannot be deprived without injustice,
though it will be necessary to keep
the exercise of that ancient right
within reasonable limits. Hence it
is evident that, out Of so few men
with so many home duties on their
hands, we cannot expect to secure
any considerable number for our
planters. They may be able to do
a certain amount of work by taking
contracts in the neighborhood of
their own villages; but as resident
and continuous workers on our plan-
tations we may, for all practical
purposes, set them aside. A few OF
them will be available, but not
enough to affect the general ques-
ton of labor supply. Our choice,
therefore, is narrowed down to the
Polynesians and theacoolies; and
were it only matter of choice with
us, we should most certainly choose
the former. In spite of his great
susceptibility to epidemic diseases
the Polynesian is preferable to the
coolie for many reasons. , He Is
cheaper, more docile, less self-asser'
tive, and far more profitable to the
revenue. Money is of no use tc
him in his own country, and at the
end of his term of service he lays on
all his little balance of wages il
articles most of which pay heavily tt
the Customs. Thus he contributes
alike to the revenue and to the store
Keeper. The Indian cOolie. on tin
contrary, is profitable to neither. HI
spends next to nothing beyond wha
is necessary to his bare sustenance
his chief expenditure is on food--rice
-four, &c.-goods which either FREE
of duty, or but lightly taxed; he put
by every siXpence he can scrap'
together, and when his time up h,
takes his hoard away with him to hi
own land. '' "aHe 't
f' p NEW CALEDONIA. re
Our Noumea correspondent writes
,-"Considerable anxiety is bein.
felt throughout New Caledonia
respecting the threatening results
especially to the mining and agricul
tural interests-of the stoppage o
the native immigration from til
South Sea Islands. The subject i
a most serious one, vitality SO to til
prosperity of the colony, which 4
the opinion of all practical men her
will rapidly retrograde unless thi
Invaluable source of labor is res
tored. This rude check comes jus
as the country was recovering fror
the crushing effects of the bank an
mining failures a few years pas,
So imminent is the danger, an
ruinous in its prospective effect
upon the most important interests {
the country, that number of til
most influential people here, heade
by Mr.. John Higgipson, have forme