VlTl L E V U
LAND IN F I J I R. H. Regnault
id
The F i j i Group consisting of some 300 i s l a n d s l i e s mainly between t h e
16th
and 20th p m a l l e l s of southern l a t i t u d e . I t i s confined between nreridians 177E and 178W; t h e 180Lh meridian passing through the i s l a n d s of Vanua Levu and Taveuni. The group covers an a r e a of approximately 60,000 square miles and i t s own land mass i s 7,055 square miles in extent.The two main islands, V i t i Levu and Vanua Leva cover 4,011 square miles and 2,137 square miles respectively. Suva the c a p i t a l c i t y and center of Government is s i t u a t e d on the south e a s t coast of V i t i Levu and i s
1969
miles from Sydney, and 3163 miles f ' m m Honolulu.V i t i Levu, Vanua Levu and i s l a n d s near t h e i r shores are mainly of geologically r e c e n t volcanic origin. The h i n t e r l a n d s a r e of a broken nature with rugged mountain ranges r i s i n g i n the centre. I n the case of V i t i L e n the highest p o i n t i s over 4,300 f e e t . The i s l a n d s of the Lau Group, s m X X ) miles e a s t of Suva, provide a marked c o n t r a s t being of l h s t o n e formation and of low r e l i e f .
To the e a s t of t h e 180th meridian i s Polynesia, t o the west Melanesia. F i j i stands a t the ethnic and geographic c r o s s roads and the present day customs and c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of the indigenous F i j i a n r e f l e c t influences from both origins. One of the problems of t h e Admini- s t r a t i o n today i s t o b r i n g about a climate of opinion amongst F i j i a n s to allow f o r g r e a t e r freedom for individual a c t i o n in terms of a material- i s t i c twentieth century cash economy.
Paper read f o r M r . Regnault by Dr.
F.
H. Bauer, Cept. of Geography, San Diego S t a t e College, Sm Diego, C a l i f o r n i a-
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Because of t h e conditions p r e v a i l i n g i n t h e e a r l y 1870's F i j i a n Chiefs appealed t o Great Britain to b r i n g order out of chaos. On 10th October 1674 an unconditional Deed of Cession was signed and F i j i pro- claimed a B r i t i s h possession. The unconditional v e s t i n g i n the Crown of a l l land not t h e bona f i d e property of Europeans and n o t i n a c t u a l use
o r occupation by F i j i a n s a t t h e time of execution of t h e "Deed" has been argued from that day hence. However, E r i t i s h policy over t h e
years has given p r e s c r i p t i v e v a l i d i t y to t h e p r i n c i p l e of t h e i n v i o l a b i l - i t y of F i j i a n Lands.
Claims t o ownership of l a n d by Europeans and o t h e r s who had entered into dealings with F i j i a n s p r i o r to cession were decided by a Land Claims C d e s i o n which operafed between 1875 and 1900. The findings of t h i s Conmission e s t a b l i s h e d t h e bulk of present day freehold land.
The R e a l Property Ordinance of 1876 was enacted t o c o n t r o l freehold l a n d dealings. I n it were provisions precluding t h e acceptance of any plan of land by t h e Registrar of T i t l e s o r by any c o u r t i n t h e Colony
i f such were not endorsed by a r e g i s t e r e d surveyor. I n 1877 an Ordin- ance to provide f o r t h e r e g i s t r a t i o n of Surveyors was passed. These Ordinances had f a r reaching e f f e c t s and have been primarily responsible f o r t h e excellence of the Colony's mrtp and plan coverage
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s a i d t o be superior to t h a t of most o t h e r countries i n a comparable stage of devel- o-nt.
I n 18% a Native Lands Commission was s e t up t o a s c e r t a i n and define 'Mataqali' boundaries; t h e Mataqali being the r e c o p i z e d F i j i a n land- holding unit. I t i s a d i v i s i o n of a l a r g e r s o c i a l unit, t h e Yavusa, which in t u r n approximatea to something between a t r i b e and a clan claim-
ing descent from a c o m n ancestor. The work of t h e Connnission has
have been surveyed end recorded. I n l a t e years t h e work of t h e Commis- s i o n has been mainly d i r e c t e d to i n v e s t i g a t i n g and making recommendations i n respect of Native land t o be reserved within Mataqali holdings f o r exclusive F i J i a n use.
There a r e some 5,127 Mataqali (average membership 29 persons) in F i j i and they own 3,776,000 a c r e s o r 83.6% of t h e l a n d i n t h e Colony.
Unalienated F i j i a n land i s used according t o custom and a g r i c u l t u r a l a c t i v i t y (mainly f o r subsistence purposes) i s usually on a s h i f t i n g c u l t i v a t i o n b a s i s . However, it must be borne i n mind t h a t n e a r l y h a l f of the Colony i s considered unsuited f o r a p i c u l t u r e , orchard crops, grazing o r productive f o r e s t .
The Colonial Office policy of preserving t h e customary F i j i a n way of l i f e i n t h e e a r l y days l e d to a shortage of paid labour and brought about t h e introduction of imported labour t o work t h e plantations.
Labour was f i r s t l y imported from Melanesia and secondly when t h a t source d r i e d up, from India. I n 1879 the f i r s t shipload of Indian indentured labour a r r i v e d i n F i j i . Indian labour continued t o a r r i v e i n F i j i u n t i l
1916
when t h e indenture system ceased. Few Indians took advantage of r e p a t r i a t i o n at t h e termination of t h e i r contracts. These labourers were followed by Indian shopkeepers and merchants. All have m u i t i p l i e d accordingly and so it is today that Indians form t h e g r e a t e s t percentage of the population.F i j i is a m u l t i - r a c i a l a g r i c u l t u r a l Colony whose e c o n q i s l a r g e l y dependent on t h e production of copra, sugar and gold. I n 1956 a g r i c u l - t u r e was t h e m a i n occupation of 58.9% of t h e t o t a l occupied population.
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F i j i ' s popalation a t 1961 is estimated a t 410,263
(171,248
Fijians, 206,819 k d i a n s , 32,196 others-
Europeans, p a r t Europeans, Rotwnans and other Pacific ~ s l a n d e r s ) and i s expected t o increase t o 583,859 by 1971.Of the total b a d area of the Colony, i.e. 4,514,438 acres
,
Fijians hold 83.6% in customaryterms
and .2$ in registered freehold ownership. Other flweholders are Indians1.7$,
Europeans and p a r t Europeans5.5$,
Colonial Sugar Refining Companyl.7$,
Chinese and other .7$, whilst Rotumans hold.2$ i n customary tenure. The balance of 6.4% is i n Crown ownership.
Indian holdings are increased by way of leasing 230,000 acres f r o m Fijians, 40,000 acres from the Crown, 50,000 acres from the Colonial Sugar Refining Co. and 30,000 acres from other freeholders. It should be noted t h a t some 63% of the leased land is situated in the f e r t i l e and
f h c i a l l y rewarding, cane growing areas.
Equating the 1961 population figures with the following land use categories
( i ) Agricultural land
(ii) Agricultural land requiring modest improvement (iii) Land requiring major improvements
( i v ) Land unsuited f o r permanent agriculture
we find that the acreage per capita works out a t
1.76,
0.95, 2.94 3.4 acres respectively. This is somewhat of an over simplification a s it disregards, amongst other ratters, Fijian ownership of83.6%
of the land i n the Colony.Whilst I have no figures w i t h which to make similar comparisons with other Pacific t e r r i t o r i e s , the folJ.owing population/density figures are interesting:
) approxi- New Caledonia
1, I t ) mately
(1957)
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70,747-
10.1" "
) t h e same) area.
New Hebrides
- - 8.5
9 , I,1
(1956) 48,725
Kingdom of
Tonga (1956)
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58,000 232" ,,
/IFreehold land comprising as it does some 10$ of t h e Colony is held by r e g i s t e r e d p r o p r i e t o r s i n f e e simple. I t can be bought, sold, mort- gaged, pledged and subdivided ( s u b j e c t t o subdivision of l a n d and town planning considerations). There a r e no moral o r customary r e s t r i c t i o n s on its use o t h e r than those placed on it by the individual owner himself.
The Colonial Sugar Refining Co. i s t h e largest s i n g l e freehold owner and it l e a s e s o u t most of i t s lands.
Crown land is divided broadly i n t o
4
categories:-
( a ) Cramland with o r without t i t l e . This i s land which has come to t h e Crown by way of Native Grant, purchase o r a c q u i s i t i o n and t o t s l s eome
85,424
acres.( b ) Crown Schedule ' A ' land is t h a t which f a l l s t o t h e Crown as 'ultimus haeres' on t h e e x t i n c t i o n of a Mataqali and amounts t o 120,000 a c r e s . ( c ) Crown Schedule 'Bt land i s t h a t f o r which no claim was made t o t h e
1880 Native Land Conmission and accounts f o r approximately 88,000 acres of t h e poorer lands.
( d ) Large areas of Crokn foreshore covered i n mangrove which i s p t e n - t i a l l y reclaimable.
Rents from Crown land i n c a t e g o r i e s ( a ) , (b), and ( d l m e paid into t h e Colony's general revenue. Rents from Crown Schedule 'B' lands l e s s 10$ a r e paid to a s p c i a l fund c o n t r o l l e d by t h e F i j i a n A f f a i r s Board f o r t h e b e n e f i t of F i j i a n s .
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Only i n exception& cases i s it possible t o dispose of t h e freehold of Crown land. h g c t i c a l l y all a l i e n a t i o n of Crown l a n d is done by way of l e a s e .
C m l e a s e s are exceptionally popular and i n many cases seem to be preferred t o freehold tenure. This i s hard
to
understand as these l e a s e s a r e circumscribed by n m r o u s conditions and f a i l u r e to honour them can l e a d to cancellation. However, r e n t a l s a r e modest, seldom exceeding 4$ of t h e unimproved c a p i t a l value of the land.The Crown undertakes the provision of b a s i c survey work f o r all lands i n the Colony and every l o t whethe?: surveyed f o r r e s i d e n t i a l , a g r i c u l t u r a l o r any other purpose i s i t s e l f connected to t h e basic sur- vey system.
Most urban development has been undertaken by the Crown and nearly a l l towns and townships i n the Colony ( e s p e c i a l l y ~ u v a ) have been l a i d o u t a s a r e s u l t of Crown i n i t i a t i v e . However, Crown land a v a i l a b l e f o r development in both urban and rural a r e a s is now limited.
No F i j i a n land may be sold except to the Crown. The l e a s i n g of F i j i a n lan& outstde Reserves i s controlled by the Native Lands h-ust Board
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a body s e t LIT under a s p e c i a l Ordinance with a F i j i a n majority divorced from Central Government agency. The l e e s e s issued by the Board contain clauces siixilar t o the covenants of Crown leases. Finance to operate the Board's a c t i v i t i e s i s obtained by d i v e r t i n g 25% of a l l r e n t s and r o y a l t i e s received t o the Board's revenue. Of t h e balance some3 6
i s d i s t r i b u t e d to high ranking members of the s o c i a l u n i t s involved, leaving some 45% f o r d i s t r i b u t i o n to the rank and f i l e of the Mataqali.I n 1959 a C o d s s i o n under the Chairmanship of S i r Alan Burns was appointed to enquire i n t o the n a t u r a l resources and population trends of t h e Colony. The C o d s s i o n c a r r i e d out an exhaustive investigation and
The Conrmission emphasized the impossibility of ignoring the F i j i a n s ' r i g h t t o the ownership of all land other than Crown and freehold and re-affirmed t h a t the Mataqali should continue t o be t h e land owning u n i t . It a l s o recormended t h a t Mataqalis should be r e g i s t e r e d a s cor- porate bodies t o enable them to pledge t h e i r lands as s e c u r i t y f o r loan purposes. This recommendation w a s not accepted by the Legislature nor was t h e reconrmendation to tax inadequately used land.
However, t h e Legislature has now indicated i t s acceptance of recom- mendations to implement landlord and t e n a n t l e g i s l a t i o n , t o increase the t e r n s of a g r i c u l t u r a l l e a s e s to 60 and 99 years and t o a c c e l e r a t e the demarcation of Native Reserves.
There i s a growing awareness amongst F i j i a n s of the advantages t o be gained by the independent farmer and Government has supported the
Burns C d s s i o n recommendation t h a t t h i s type of farmer should be encour- aged. Despite t h e d i f f i c u l t i e s both p r a c t i c a l and psychological, numbers o f F i j i a n s have made the break and a r e established a s individual farmers on t h e i r own land. In these cases subsistence s h i f t i n g c u l t i v a t i o n has given way t o up-to-date methods of husbandry and there a r e successful F i j i a n cane and d a i r y fanners i n d i f f e r e n t p a r t s of the Colony.
With t h e settlement of F i j i a n Reserve claims i n s i g h t it is hoped that l a n d not s o claimed will become more r e a d i l y a v a i l a b l e f o r s e t t l e - ment. W i t h new avenues f o r obtaining finance soon t o be a v a i l a b l e i n t h e Colony, it i s expected t h a t F i j i ' s a g r i c u l t u r a l econow will develop on a d i v e r s i f i e d farming b a s i s and t h a t more l a n d t o accommodate an ex- panding population w i l l be made a v a i l a b l e on reasonable t e r n s .
l .
J F i j i , Legislative Council. Report of the Commission of Enquiry i n t o the Natural Resources and Population Trends of the Colony of F i j i , 1959.
