234 COFFEE I ITS CULTIVATION AND PROFIT. 



opened by enterprise and spirit in the face of 

 many difficulties. 



There can be no question but that Fiji 

 possesses an abundant store almost limitless, in 

 fact of the best volcanic land for Coffee cultiva- 

 tion, which has been successfully established, and 

 largely increased since the British annexation in 

 1874. The labour question is a serious one, as 

 it often is in new colonies. " Fiji was taken over 

 to try and preserve the native races, and Govern- 

 ment think that if they were allowed to do as 

 they liked they would die out. Therefore they 

 are induced to stay at home as much as possible 

 and keep themselves to themselves, to cultivate 

 Government gardens only to enable them to pay 

 taxes," says A. J. S., writing to the Ceylon Observer. 

 The planters in the new colony complain of the 

 " grandmotherly " care exercised by the authorities 

 over natives, and how the latter make planters' lives 

 a burthen to them by continually taking cases to 

 court which in other countries would be considered 

 beneath notice. The above writer declares he was 



summoned for calling a coolie " a b fool," and, 



objectionable as the language may have been, it 

 illustrates the sort of " complaints " which the 

 natives hatch and support by false testimony. 



Nor is the supply of Polynesian labour sufficient 

 or as good as it once was. 



" The Government in 1883 only succeeded in 

 getting one vessel to recruit Polynesians, and the 



