Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-07-05
THE LALA PRoTECTIoNIsTs.
The Evil Genius of Fiji-FeudaI
Rights.

|
! The Saturday Review, describing the
evil case in which Fiji finds herself, at
| tributes it to ''Lala," the right possessed
by the chiefs to collect indiscriminate
taxes at their own will and for their own
uses. In old days this feudal right was
| seldom abused Tor two excellent reasons.
! Firstly, before the arrival Of the Euro
| peans and their civilization, the chiefs
had but few wants beyond "a house and
| food and secondly, because the chiefs
knew quite well that if they oppressed
the people, they would be deposed and
| cldbbed to death. Even before the an
neXation, the growing influx of trade was
| raising the greed of good things in the
! chiefs with SO distinct an effect i'm the
matter Of Lala that the old Fiji govern
! meht was doing its best to break down
this teudal right; and it was in the hope
OF doing this still more etfectualIy that
| annexation was so strongly urged by the
whites. Instead, no Never, OF doing any
thing of the kind, Sir Arthur Gordon de-
termined TO govern through the chiefs by
the old teudal system, and the Lala was
not only broken down, but was revived IN
far greater force than before, without any
of its old restrictions. 1t can easily be
imagined, therefore, what Lala is made to
mean in the hands of the men entrusted
chief wants in town or country he gets,
and his people have to pay. Resistance is
out of the question for them, for they
know that the chief is supported by the
British Governor. They have nothing
which belongs to them; every little pos
session on which money can be raised
may be, and generally is, seized and sold
by the chief. They plant but few vans
(their staple tOOd); for, if they do they
know that the chief will seize the crop.
If the women and children are hungry.
they endure their hunger with sullen,
hopeless patience, or 90 and grub for wild
roots in the bush TO satisfy their cravings.
One night planter was Weakened up by a
native, who begged to be allowed to place
his two pigs in the planter s clubhouse; the
chief was to be round at the village next
morning, and, though the pigs were all this
native possessed, he knew they would be
taken from him. Only by bringing them
under cover OF the night to the planter
could he hope 10 keep them. If native
undertakes work ON a plantation, he is
liable TO be called off for Lala by his
chief. If he has received any wages, the
chief can take them from him;
If he plants the food the
chief can sell it. Before IA native can
engage himself to work as laborer, he
has 10 get leave from no less than three
otfclals-nis taraga ne kOra town chiel).
his butt (dstrict chief, and
his roko (chief Of provnce)-
and the natives complain that
before this formidable trio will give
the necessary permission TO a man to work
for his living, he has to pay them brides
to the extent sometimes of ca, which
leaves the unhappy thrall so little that it
Is not worth working for. This system of
blackmail goes still further; for, unless
the planters take care 10 propitiate with
money the chief whose villages they wish
to employ, the cnIet invariably Lalas lie
lab0rers 10 come back and Work for nan
until the planters come to terms. Accord
ing to the existing native labor ordinance
no man may leave the district in which
he was born; the land may be barren and
the food more than scarce, but there he
must remain working for his chief,
no matter what wages he might earn
in another district. The initial cost
OF engaging native labOrer tor years
work used to be { |, exclusive OF his board
wages and clothes; it is now $40. If She
men were tree to accept the work which
is waiting for them, the planters would
Willingly give { 10 and G12, instead of the
present nominal rate of CA or Co. but,
while they remain the absolute slaves OF
the chiefs, this Is impossible. II a native
succeeds in working for a white man for
year, then, no matter what he has
learned or what wages he can get, the
law compels him to work the whole Of the
next year for his chief without wages. Ii
he mad only worked for the white man for
month, the penalty would b. the same
time to be devoted TO his chief The chief
reason OF this extraordinary law arises
from the form of the native taxation,
which. with the abomInable Lala, may be
said to be the root Of all the evil which
has come upon Fiji.