The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1916-07-04
Fiji ISLANDS BOOM
UNDER WARS WHIP
Plantations and People Are Max
inc Money, Says Returned
Traveller n..
Wireless and Telephone Mark Of
Progress In South Sea
Group

Fiji is enjoying quite boom under
war eonditions, according TO state
ments made by D. Mcdonald, formerly
resident of mo, WHO has returned to
that city afisIfa scyeraf years IN the
South Sea group.
FITTINGS are very prosperous in
Fiji,, be said, sand the town of Suva
has grown lot. Wireless stations are
are TO be found right throughout the
Fijian group nOw-a-days, and the tele-
phone has extended to every nook in
the thousands Of beautiful bays TO be
found arOnHd the coasts Of the five
hundred or so islands in the group.
"The Colonial Sugar Company (Of
Fiji) has opened mp many thousands
OF acres of new lands and their rail
road systems have been extended in
all directions. The company has ad
opted the policy of leasing their es
tates to the men who formerly man
aged them as officers OF the company.
a "Tis results In men who, formerly,
drew salaries that section lunas in
Hawai- would sneer at, getting as
much as ten aud fifteen thousand dol
lars per anaum from their leased es
tates. The men take the places and
raise cane on, contract. The com
pany advances money TO finance the
tenants and at the end Of the grind
ina season settles up everything, after
deaueting the advances. One man ]
know who was manager of one of
those estates walked into the head Of
flee NJ I.autoka some time ago and
a 1Raf SyAn M
for three thousand pounds--that
means fifteen thousand good old plunks
IN U. s.. A. dough. Formerly this man
worked as manager Of the estate for
.hree hundred pounds a year-jusi
about ffteen hundred dollars.
company PROFIT Largo
"And, on top Of 1t all, the big
fugarN company makes enormous pro
FITS and makes them all out Of the
factory. The company is satisfied to
iIake the profits that Is in the milling
If the cane and the converting OF the
luice into sugar that brings such Il biz
Griee in the New Zenland market-tht
ompany does its own refining also in
.yery Australians and New Zealand
capital 30 that adds to the rake-of
very time"
"The land laws have been altered
lot for the good in the Finn group,
and there are acres of land being taken
I'M by free Indians whose time as in
dentured employees of the big sugar
companies has expired. These mel
take up few acres of land each and
20 in far raising cane, rice and other
crops. They make u good living aud
seem absolutely coutented.
Just Coming Money
"fThe Colonial Sugar Refining Com
pany which operates factories in FIJI
ind re fneries in New Zealand and Aus
fralia, Is coming money. The huge con
.eern h ~ now split into two companies
One In white Australia and the
sother in Black Labor FIJI, and the
consequence Is that even larger profits
than before are being made. Should an
nexation 10 Australia come about II
will mean the end of prosperity in Fl
ii because then Hindu labor will not
be allowed into the country.
''The residents Of FIJI seem to favor
femaining as they are-that is as q
Grown Colony governed from Down
ing Street, London, and with nothing
TO do with Australia except in a com
mercial way. The splitting Of the Co
1onial Sugar Company is realized t.
have been clever move as the labo
unions in Australia cannot have any
thing to say to the directors of thu
concern in Australia. Any kick ear
be replied to by saying that the FIJI
Colonial Sugar Company is differ
ent organization altogether, and tina
the Australia company has nothing Il
say as 70 the labor policy existing il
Fiji.
Things Are Booming
9Things are booming in FIJI an
the town Of Suva has grown a 10
during the past few years. The BIZ
hotel erected and managed by tn
Union Steamship Company is "a fin
place, but II does not pay.
"Fiji has responded wonderfully :
tbe call for volunteers for the En-
f0pean war. OF the first eontingen
only two men remain in active SCI
vice. The rest are dead OF wounded
God bless them all. The Niagara o
which came up to Honolulu las
week took another lot of fine youn
white men who are bound for Europ
to do their own little bit for the caus
of civilization. ! am sorry / eannt
be with them; again God bless them