THE FIJI ISLANDS 
483 
what is officially and incorrectly termed “ Polynesian 
labour”—by which is meant the natives of the New 
Hebrides and Solomon Islands, and of these there were 
2500 in the colony in 1892. In the coco-nut and 
banana plantations they are preferred to coolies, but for 
work in the sugar-fields the latter are almost exclusively 
used. There are no Chinese in the islands. 
Fiji has three main exports—sugar, green fruit, and 
copra. Of these, the first named is by far the most 
important, over 20,000 tons, valued at £325,525, having 
been exported in 1891. Eleven sugar mills were at 
work, and the greatest output is from the Eewa river 
district. Bananas and pine-apples are sent in great and 
increasing quantities to Australia, where they find a 
ready market; and this industry is the second in import¬ 
ance, the value of the export in 1891 reaching £61,000, 
but a disease affecting the former plant threatens to 
destroy the plantations. The export of copra was to 
nearly the same value. Shortly after the British annexa¬ 
tion, coffee, cotton, and maize were the chief exports, but 
the leaf disease ruined the former, and it is no longer 
grown, while copra and sugar proved more lucrative than 
the latter. Pea-nuts to the value of £6000 annually 
leave the islands, and turtle-shell, tobacco, and biche-cle - 
mer in tolerable quantity. Tea, which promised well, is 
now little grown. It is to be regretted that the cultiva¬ 
tion of rice is not more encouraged among the natives, 
for its success has been proved, and at present more than 
£10,000 worth has to be annually imported to supply 
the needs of the population. In the various islands 
about 40,000 acres of land are under cultivation by 
Europeans. Of late years the prospects of the colony 
have not been very good, but in 1891 a great increase 
in trade manifested itself. In that year the value 
