The Coolidge examiner., 1931-04-24


Society. Washington. ID. c.
(WNU Service.)
~ NE of the worst hurricanes of
recent weeks struck the FIJI
islands, about which there
are probably more misconceptions
than about any other of the Pacific
islands. Three popular fallacies
about the Fills are that they are
tiny islets; that they are typical
tropical lands, hot and unhealthy /;
and that the natives are savages.
In reality the Fijis are the larg-
est islands situated well out in the
Pacific. Only New Caledonia, the
Solomon islands. snd the Bis
marcks. all relatively close to Aus
tralia and New Guinea. are larger.
The total area of the Fills is great
er than that of the HaWaiian is
lands; and Viii Levu, the main is
land of the group is almost ex-
actly the same size as Hawaii,
the giant OF the northern is
lands. Fiji is, in fact, often re-
ferred TO as ''the Hawaii of the
South"
The area of Viii Levu is more
than 1000 square miles, and this
island alone is thus half the size
of the state of Massachusetts. II
is more than T5 miles long and 80
broad and contains a mountain
range with peaks 1000 to 5000 feet
high. Ii is among the few Pacific
islands with a river so miles long,
which is navigable by small boats.
Although Fiji is well within the
Tropics, having south latitude
corresponding to the north latitude
of Jamaica, ii has an Unexpectedly
temperate climate. This is due
chiefly to the considerable size of
the islands and their mountains
which intercept the clouds and cool
air currents and bring them TO low
er levels. Suva, the capital, stu
ated on the largest island, has its
tennis and cricket addicts who play
in comfort. Fiji is truly a white
mans land" The temperature sell
dom tops 80 degrees Fahrenheit or
drops below 63. So pleasant is it
most of the year that lightweight,
white clothing has not the vogue
that it has elsewhere in the Trop-
les, and garments like those worn
In America and Europe are to be
seen at all seasons.
Ranks High in Healthfulness.
On the score of healthfulness
Fiji stands particularly high. 1t is
said to be the most healthful trop-
ical land in the world. The rear
ing of children by Europeans.
fraught with difficulties in most
other tropical lands, causes no anX-
iety in Fiji. One surprise is the
utter absence of malaria in the is
lands Mosquitoes are present, but
they do not transmit this and 9TH
er diseases from which Europeans
suffer in other tropical lands.
When first well known to Euro
peans, in the late Eighteenth and
early Nineteenth centuries, the
Fijians were the most blood-thirsty
and savage cannibals in all the
South Seas. Cannibalism was not
only INDUCED in when enemies had
been killed, these people actually
slaughtered relatives and compan-
ions for meat. They quickly came
under missionary influence, how
ever. and the entire native pOpu-
lation became ChristianiZed. The
Fijian of today is mild-mannered,
kindly and courteous.
The natives are predominantly
of MelaneSian stocks, that is of
the dark, negroid, kinky-haired type
of islanders. There has been, how
ever. an admiXture of POlynesian
blood (like that of the Hawaiians
and MarqueSans) which has given
the Fiiian q better physique and a
handsomer appearance than those
of the full blood Melanesians. The
Fijians are particularly race-con-
scious, and although Europeans
have been on the islands for a
century. and although East Indians
have made up large part of the
population for many years, there
are practically no half-breeds.
Many East Indians There.
So large is the East Indian pop
ulatiOn that it was thought a few
years ago that the islands would
eventually become virtually col
ony of India. There are now about
10000 Indians, $4,000 Fijians and
$500 Europeans in Fiji. During
the past few decades sugar prOduc-
tion has been Fiji's chief industry
The Fijians do not take kindly to
plantation work, so thousands of
East Indians were imported to
work in the cane fields. These
Iaborers were brought in on
fields. Trey were brought in on
the "indenture" system, binding
themselves to work for five years
After the indenture period, thou
sands settled in the islands to grow