§ 70. Mr. J. Johnsonasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how much land has been alienated in Fiji; and what are his plans regarding future land reservation in that territory.
§ Mr. Lennox-Boyd455,000 acres have been sold (other than to the Crown and native Fijians) out of a total land area of about 41 million acres. About 4½ million acres of the total area is tribal land owned communally by the native Fijians and may not be permanently alienated except to the Crown for public purposes, although it may be leased if not required for native needs.
As to the second part of the Question, the work of investigating the present and future land requirements of native Fijian owners with a view to determining the Native Reserves is proceeding. When these have been determined, native land not required for the use, maintenance or support of the owner becomes available for leasing either to other native Fijians or to other inhabitants of Fiji.