What happened after Deed of Cession was signed
AFTER Cession, a Provisional Government was established. His Excellency Sir Hercules George Robert Robinson, Governor, Commander in Chief and Vice-Admiral of the Colony of New South Wales and its dependencies, Governor of Norfolk Island became Provisional Governor of Fiji carrying out administration of the new colony.
He served as Provisional Governor from October 1874 to September 1875.
Sir Arthur Gordon arrived in June 1875 but did not assume Governorship immediately as some of his principal officers who had been appointed had not arrived yet and as the immediate promulgation of the Charter erecting Fiji into a separate British Colony would, without the concurrent enactment of several legislative measures, create confusion, the provisional state of affairs continued till September 1875.
The transition into Colonial rule was not easy. Sir Gordon gave priority to restoring confidence and trust of the Fijians.
He re-affirmed and consolidated the system of native administration set up by Sir Hercules Robinson in 1874, and passed legislation prohibiting all land transactions between Fijians and others. He also appointed a Land Claims Commission to enquire into all claims to lands arising from transactions concluded prior to Cession. The Commission completed its work in 1883 and of the 132 claims investigated three-quarters were allowed as bona fide or allowed on grounds of occupation, while quarter was disallowed or withdrawn.
Gordon’s native policy was aimed primarily at securing the Fijians in their ownership and occupancy of their lands, and in preventing any sudden disruption in their social organization which was the very basis upon which the native administration was founded.
Gordon was very much criticized by the settlers about these policies because they saw in them the end of their hopes for more land and for a plentiful supply of cheap labour but as far as the land was concerned he stood his ground. For the question of labour he was sympathetic and did his best to meet the planter’s demands by introducing measures for the proper supervision and control of the recruitment of Polynesian labour from other Pacific Islands.
When this source of labour was found to be inadequate, he recalled his previous experience in Mauritius and turned to India.
The first shipload of Indian Indentured laborers arrived in Fiji on the Leonidas May 1879. The new source of labour completely replaced that of other Pacific Islands.
Rotuma was added to Fiji in 1881. The Principal Rotuman Chiefs repeatedly offered to cede the island to Britain in order to prevent continuance of a succession of religious wars and following an offer in 1879 by the three Principal Chiefs, Rotuma was formerly annexed on 13th May 1881.
In August 1882, the Governor and his staff were moved to Suva which became the seat of administration. In 1875 due to limited land availability for expansion new sites for Fiji’s capital were being identified. Port Kinnaird on the South West of Ovalau, Savusavu Bay, Suva, Galoa in Kadavu and Likuri in Nadi. By August 1875 it was narrowed down to Suva and Nadi.
By 1876 the obvious choice was Suva. Sir William Des Voux who succeeded Sir Arthur Gordon made the final preparations for the move to Suva deploying the Royal Engineers to construct Government buildings and the necessary facilities for new township.
An influenza epidemic swept through Fiji in 1918 – 1919 claiming hundreds of lives especially amongst the Fijian people.
This was a major setback in the protection of the native race. During WW1 Fiji contributed hundreds of pounds towards the British Empire effort and more than 700 men including the Fijian Labour Corp saw active service in Europe and the Middle East. At the end of the war, the general public of Fiji contributed towards a War Memorial. After raising enough funds, work began on the Colonial War Memorial Hospital. The hospital was completed in 1923.