People, land and government in Suva, Fiji
Date
1966
Authors
Whitelaw, James Sutherland
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Abstract
This study evaluates the contribution of three cultural factors to the growth
and contemporary character of Suva. The three factors selected - a colonial form
of government, the presence of a multiracial society and the system of land tenure
in the Colony - are examined in each chapter and their significance in both time and
space is assessed. The first two factors may be found in other situations but the
third, the system of land tenure although having parallels elsewhere, is peculiar to
Fiji. It is argued that the relationships and interactions between the three factors
have been and are largely responsible for the formal and functional organisation
of the city.
The thesis is divided into two parts each of three chapters. The first part is
largely concerned with tracing the evolution of Suva and its relationships with the
other Fijian towns. Chapter One follows the evolution of all the towns in the Colony
from pre-Cession days to the present. Major emphasis in this chapter lies on the
changing composition of the urban population as the Indians achieve numerical
superiority in the towns. The second chapter covers the same time span and concentrates
on the reasons why Suva was chosen as the site for the capital and its subsequent
growth. The influence of land tenure on the choice of the site and the changing
role of the various ethnic groups in the city is examined. The various forms of local
government are also detailed in this chapter. Chapter Three concentrates on the
place of the port in the development of the city, the present work of the wharf and the
associated industrial development in the city, Government legislation, protective
tariffs and lending agencies are considered of major importance in this section.
Part Two analyses the contemporary character of certain segments of the city.
The chapter dealing with the commercial structure of the city shows how the various
ethnic groups have arranged themselves within the central business area with the
result that two distinct sectors are identifiable. In the fifth chapter the ethnic composition
of the city's population appears to have been responsible for the character of
many of the residential areas. In this chapter it is almost impossible to divorce the
influence of government from that of race in creating areas dominated by one or other
of the major ethnic groups. Land tenure becomes important in understanding the
distribution of unauthorised dwellings which constitute one of the city's major problems . .
Chapter Six illustrates the way in which proximity to the city, land tenure and the various
racial groups have affected the periurban area of Suva. The differences between the use
and management of Crown and Native land are also presented in this chapter.
The conclusion assesses the individual significance of each of the three cultural
factors in the urban geography of the city and the extent to which they will influence its
development over the next five years. An attempt is also made to indicate the relevance
of this method of studying an urban centre with respect to other Pacific towns.
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