The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-12-04
LABOR QUESTION IN Fiji.

also thrive well in this colony. I'm the
Handbook for Fiji, published by the
government in 1872. 1t is stated that
the climate seems admirably adapted
to the Indian immigrants, who form
one of the healthest factors in the
population. This is borne out by the
relation of the death rate to the birth
rate of 1896. In that year the birth
rate among the total indentured popu
lation was 500 per cent. and the death
rate 3.06 per cent.
With the rapid increase in the num-
Der of the Indian immigrants there
| has been a decline in that OF the Poly
nesians. The term "Polynesian" Is
here applied in common parlance to
immigrants from the New Hebrides
and Solomon Groups. Custom has
given its sanction to strange ethno-
| logical error, seeing that the people
in question are Melanesians; and 20
avoid confusion | will employ the APP
propriate name. There is also spe-
cial report on the Melanesian imml-
grafton for 1896, published in the Fiji
Royal Gazette, for October 20, 1897.
We there learn that there were 1910
Melanesians in the colony in 1897, as
compared with 24Ss i'm 1892. As there
was no opportunity for returning the
time expired laborers in 1896. the fig
ures for 1897 are markedly in excess
| of what they otherwise would have
been. This one time formidable body
of people Ct here quote from an arti-
Gle in the Fiji Times for November 81.
has ,dwindled down from several thou
sand to some twenty-t%ree hundreds
only. and is largely occupied on small
plantations and as 'hewers of wood
and drawers of water" by the older
colonists. who esteem them highly IN
these capacities. The high death rate
and the small number of births tend.
says the agent general, towards the
gradual dminution of the small Ma
lanesian population. who do not 70
any appreciable extent intermarrv
with the native race of the colony.
That there is no Indication of a revi-
val of the demand for this form of inn
migrant is sufficiently shown by the
fact that no licenses to recruit labor
in Melanesia were issued to vessels in
1896.
Each Melanesian immigrant was ORR
ginally engaged for three years. and
was paid wages of from three to six
pounds year, rations, clothing, quar-
tiers and medical attendance being, pro-
vided. At the expiration of his time
the free Melanesian usually prefers TO
hire himself out as a servant or labor
er and seldom attempts Independent
cultivation as means of livelihood.
The cost to the employer OF the intro
duction of each immigrant was about
sixteen pounds, to which has to Oe
l added from five to seven pounds, being
: the expense of the return passage. AS
house servants they are often PREFER
ed to the white men, but thy are not
actually cheaper than the Indian coo.
= lie, although they are stated to lie
i more tractable and pleasant to work
with. and for these reasons are pre-
: ferred by small planters on cocoanut
and fruit plantations.
| will close this article with a ref
erence to the disastrous termination
of the attempt to utilize Japanese III
Dor. 1t forms the subject of Il very
learned and thorough government re-
port drawn up by DR.. Corney, tin,
chief medical officer of the colony. In
April, 1894, there arrived direct from
their own country about three hun
dred Japanese, all males, who were
: under agreement to work on the plan
tations of the Colonial Sugar Refining
Company. Ihey were 10 receive tnell
daily rations with quarters, medical
attendance, and one shilling for each
days work performed. In three OF
four months Beriberi appeared among
them, and about ninety per cent be
:. came affected with the disease. whilt
twenty-five per cent of the total mum
q Der introduced died. The survivors
were returned to Japan early in the
following year.
|. Roman Catholic Mission, Rewa
Fiji, November Q, 1897.
T. L ANQTuER DQIAR ENpEDITION