Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1895-11-09

same task on which others can hardly
earn their food. Al Coolies working
on an estate are supplied with free
house, hrewood. medical attendance,
medicine and hospital treatment. TAX.
ing them as a whole the Coolies are a
sharp, low and immoral lot; but there Is
no doubt about their being the cheapest
laborefs IN FIJI, although they actually
earn three or iOur times as much as they
could do in their own country. Some Of
tue aborers manage to save and place
at deposit considerable portion OF
their wages, Others save, and then lend
the money TO rogues OF their own color,
who cheat them; others again gamble
and lose all their earnings, to pro-
iessional card shaipers, OF whom there
are many among them. Some OF them
are so. innaieiy lazy, that they will
seriously lniure themselves bodily, IN
order 10 plead the excuss Of being unfit
Tor work. The Coolies will tell false
hoods to an unlimited extent, aud Is Is
therefore IN many cases difficult to get
convictions against them in the police
courts. The usual punishment IS a Tine,
and In default oil payment, a period oil
imprisonment with labor. The time OF
absence from plantation work on this
account Is added to the time OF linden
iure and called "estention OF time"
Nearly all the laborers employed on the
Nausori plantation are Coolies, there
being only lew fiiians or Polynesians.
By Tar the most important industry on
the Fiian Islands ~ the growing Of
sugar cane and the manufacture OF raw
sugar though this industry was not com
menced here I'LL about iourte,n years
ago. the cane raised In Fit Is grown
ifom imported cane tops, principally Of a
variety originally obtained from the
Hawaiian Islands. Lands just cleared
and broken up for cultivation gave at
hrst very abundant harvest, but ex-
peuence has already shown that II does
not continue to do so IN Fin, but that
fertilizng is necessary; hence a crop OF
beans Is started about every three years,
which IS plowed under green for irftilIz
ing purposes; at least this Is the plan
adopted on the Nausoi plantation.
Alter visiting the Indian quarters, Mr..
Wilson accompanied me 10 the native
village called Nausori, il consists Of
something lisc twenty five native houses,
most oil which are well built and roomy
The one we entered was also scrupuous-
ly clean in the Inside, anu was not with.
out a certain degree Of comfort. The
little Western cnuIch provided with a
pulpit but no seats u any description,
was an OBJECT q considerable interest
to me. During services The natives
squat down ON the mas. Most vi the
people (of both sexes) IN TINS village
were simply clad Ia their ordinary
"sulus."
by invitation Me-. Thiele and myself
dined with Superintendent 1enner
whose fine residence Is percHcd on the
top u a hill overlooking the fivcr for
several miles up anu down. Mr. Tenner
has nice little family, and we spent
pleasant evening, converslng aboui Utah
anu its people. Mr.. Tenuer has visited
our territory, being employed as AN
engineer on tile Denver * Rio Grande
Railway at the time tnat road was being
built through U,ah.
ANDREW lRSsoS.
BAu, near Viii Lew, FIJI Islands,
August nth, 1895.