A.—3b

1901. NEW ZEALAND.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL OF FIJI: PAPERS RELATIVE TO ENACTMENT OF AN ORDINANCE TO MAKE FURTHER PROVISION FOR THE PEACE AND GOOD ORDER OF THE COLONY.

Laid on the Table of both Hoitses by Leave.

[Extract from Western Pacific Herald.] Legislative Council, Satukday, 29th June. A special meeting of the Legislative Council was held on Saturday last, 29th ult. There were present: His Excellency the Governor, the Hons. Receiver-General, Chief Medical Officer, and Commissioner of Works, James Murray, E. Geinmell Smith, and W. Burton. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. His Excellency swore allegiance to His Majesty the King, and was then resworn as Governor of the colony and High Commissioner for the Western Pacific. Mr. C. H. H. Irvine, Acting Attorney-General, and Mr. J. A. Joske were then sworn in as new members of the Council. The Hon. W. Burton rose and said that he had only received his notice convening the meeting on the 27th ultimo, allowing only one clear day; whereas, by clause 4 of the Standing Orders, throe clear days' notice shall be given, unless the business was of extreme urgency. The Governor, in reply, said that the business before the Council was of extreme urgency. The Hon. the Receiver-General laid on the table a statement of Immigration Fund Account on 31st December, 1900. The statement shows a credit balance at the end of the year of £19,222 Is. 4d. His Honour the Acting Chief Justice moved that the Regulations made (in terms of the pro\isions of " The Marine Board Ordinance, 1899 ") by the Fiji Marine Board on the 12th day of June, 1901, be approved by the Council. Seconded by the Hon. the Receiver-General, and carried. His Excellency then read the following message to the Honourable Gentlemen of the Legislative Council:— " Before the draft Ordinance on the Agenda is read, I desire to explain to the Council why I have caused it to be introduced. You are all doubtless aware that a movement was instituted last year for the annexation of this colony to New Zealand. On the peculiarity of the manner in which it was initiated and the methods by which it has been conducted it is unnecessary for me here to enlarge, as His Majesty's Government has declined to entertain the proposal, and has decided that Fiji is to remain a Crown colony. "2. It has, however, now come to the knowledge of the local Government that it is the intention of certain persons to enter on a systematic campaign amongst the native Fijians with a view to making them discontented with the present form of government, and inducing some of them, if possible, to express a desire for federation with New Zealand. " 3. The result of permitting such a,n operation would be, in the first place, to unsettle the minds of the Fijians, to dislocate the machinery of the communal system which is indispensable to their existence, and to substitute chaos ; next, to form the loyal majority, and the minority, which no doubt exists in this country, as in all others, of worthless and ill-conditioned characters, into two hostile camps ; and, lastly, to lead to disturbances, and not impossibly to bloodshed. " 4. Such results may be regarded with equanimity by the agitators to whom I have referred; but it is obviously the duty of the Government that is responsible for the peace and good order of the colony to do all in its power to prevent the possibility of their occurring.