From the Fiji Times, June 20, 1900.

Sir,—I am pleased to notice that Federation is causing such an amount of interest to the general public, and I have given much attention to the several letters that have appeared in your valuable columns.

In reply to "Modesty," who presented himself to the public in your issue of the 23rd inst., I may say that it has never occurred to either Mr. Berkeley or myself, that if our efforts meet with success it would most likely be the means of closing the mills of the Colonial Sugar Refining Company in Fiji, but on the contrary, it has suggested itself to us, that if we are successful, (and I think it highly probable that our movement will meet with success) it may be the means of opening up many smaller mills in our fertile and highly-productive country. My curiosity has been aroused to know who "Modesty" can be, since he asserts so positively that our 14,000 coolie inhabitants will be withdrawn should Federation take place, I am of the opinion that if we do federate with New Zealand, the coolie inhabitants will in a short space of years be just double in numbers of what they are to-day, and if "Modesty" had given that attention to Mr. Berkeley's letter which it merits, when he read it, he would have noticed that it would be impossible for us to lose either the Colonial Sugar Company or the coolie inhabitants, for it is specially laid as a condition precedent to Federation, that the coolie immigration must not in any way be interfered with, this matter must be definitely and satisfactorily settled before any decision is arrived at on the subject, and I feel certain that no sane man ("Modesty" always excepted) could for one moment believe that Mr. Berkeley or myself ever contemplated the bringing about of Federation at the risk of losing our coolie labor. We are all of us alive to the fact that without colored labor our great sugar industry that has been so largely entered upon by the Colonial Sugar Refining Company could not be carried on, and, therefore, I say at once, that unless the consent of the proper authorities can be obtained for the continuance of the importation of coolie labourers after Federation is an fait accompli, then we must remain as we are, but I am fully of opinion that, whether our efforts are crowned with success or not, we certainly shall not have made ourselves page 22 look stupid in the eyes of the other colonies. The movement is progressive and should commend itself to every right-thinking person for favorable consideration. We have been retrograding long enough, and it is high time we took action to reach a higher standard than that to which we have hitherto obtained. It will certainly be argued that the colony to-day is financially better situated than it has ever been previously, which is undoubtedly correct, but what is the reason for it? Surely no one will be bold enough to assert that it is owing to any action on the part of the present form of Government to foster our agricultural pursuits, or in any way assist the small planter, of which there are so few nowadays compared to the number we had settled throughout the group say a score of years ago. No, the position of the country to-day is due to the exceptionally fine seasons that we have been fortunate enough to experience during the past five or six years, the absence of hurricanes, and the prolific nature of the soil; and if under these circumstances the country is in such a good position, what would be its position under a Democratic Government? Why, with the resources we have at hand, and the millions of acres of virgin soil, with a Government to assist by a liberal and free policy, the opening up of new industries, Fiji would in a few years be one of the finest and richest tropical countries of the world. It has been proved on a small scale that it is capable of raising mostly all tropical products; and its mineral resources are absolutely undoubted. Gold has been found in several places in the group; also iron, tin and silver. But private enterprise has not been able to trace the minerals to their source; but that they do exist has been proved beyond a doubt. As we are at present situated there is no possible hope of the wealth of the country being developed. But let us have federation, and then we shall have capital, population, and interest introduced in the colony to open up the country; and we shall all more or less reap the benefits and advantages of the great agricultural and mining qualities with which Nature has so richly endowed it.

I will not trespass any further on your space in this issue, but later on will go into the matter of Customs tariff; but it might not, probably, be out of place to remark here that if the tariffs of the two colonies are taken and very carefully compared you will find that there is very little difference, and I think of the two, the New Zealand tariff applied to Fiji under Federation, would be not so high a one as the tariff in page 23 force here to-day; so "Official" need have no dread of not being able to meet the requirements of his very large family should we be fortunate enough to get Federation.