Evening star., 1901-04-20

scribe Suva, the capital, as being espe
clally beautiful. 1t has many nice foreign
houses, and about thousand Europeans
as well Il large number of natives It's
chief street, the Victoria Parade is paved
with soapstone. 1t is lined with shade
trees and is almost q mile long. The town
has four hotels, a pubic library me-
chanics' institute and Presbyterian, Epis-
copalian and Catholic churches.
1t is at Suva that the governor has his
Offices. He is, of course, an Englishman,
and he lives like little king In palace
which cost about a hundred thousand dol
lars. SuVa has a custom house, post
office. hospital and a lunatic asylum.
LeVuka, the former capital. is some dis
tance away on the Island of Ovalau, which
is much smaller island than Viii Levu.
where Suva is situated. Levuka is sur
rounded by hills. 1t lies upon a beautiful
harbor covering an area of about forty
acres. 1t has a hospital, cathedral
mec chanics' institute, a bank and many re-
spectacle buildings.
How the Fills Are Governed.
I have spoken of the governor of the
Fijis. His name is Sir G. T. M. OBrien.
He is appointed by the King of England
and he has a salary of S12,J0O year. or
just about that Of our minister to Pekin.
He has a sort of a cabinet or executive
council, and the laws Of the country are
made by legislative council, of which he
is president There are large number OF
ordinary matters the native laws are pre-
served as far possible, but in five of the
provinces there are European officers as
resident commissioners to assist the chiefs.
The colony is on good paying basis. 1T
has about a million dollars debt, but it is
reducing this every year, and at present
its revenues are considerably greater than
it's expenditures. About half the receipts
come from the customs and the remainder
from other taxation.
Sugar and COcOanuts.
There is great deal of money made in
the Fijis out of sugar plantations and CO.
coanut groves. The climate and soil are
not far different from parts of the Philip
pines. The sugar lands are rich, and upon
the higher portions of the country coffee
is now being grown yielding about five
hundred pounds to the acre. A large num-
Der of tea gardens have recently been set
out The average tea yield is already four
hundred pounds per acre, and when the
trees are a little older it is said this will
be increased to six hundred pounds per
acre
One of the best businesses outside the
sugar is in cocoanut trees. Each tree yields
about a hundred nuts per annum and
brings in about a dollar per year net. At
this rate grove of ten thousand trees will
bring in ten thousand dollars year, and
as the trees are set close together
the ten thousand do not represent a very
large area. After the trees are once plant
l
bearing. which comes at about the same
time as the average apple tree The same
conditions prevail in the Philippines, and
expect to see many Americans making for
tunes out of -cocoanutS there. The nuts are
broken open and the meat is cut ND and
dried, when it is called copra, and is then
ready for shipment abroad for use in MAX
ing soaps, hair restorers and other such
things.
Do We Want HindOOs3
Nearly all the profitable enterprises in
the Fijis are owned or backed by English
men. The chief question which confronts
them is that of labor. The Fijis themselves
do not supply the demand and of late the
English have been importing 1aborers from
the Solomon Islands, the New Hebrides and
| the Gilberts. They have also imported a
number of Hindoos. who make better work.
men than any of the others
The government has its fixed laws as to
these importations. 1t costs about seventy
| five dollars to import native from the
| New Hebrides. and forty dollars from the
| Gilberts and the employer has to agree
| to return the laborer at his own expense
term of service is for three years, during
| which the men each receive fifteen dollars
| a year and in addition free food, lodging
and clothes. The wages must be paid in
cash, and the men must be given the
| chance to go back home at the close of
the term IL they wish.
Work for 2B Cents . Day.
AS to the Hindoos. they are returned at
the expense of the colony. 1t costs more
! to import them, but they aEe usually en-,