The Federation Movement in Fiji, 1880-1902

Fiji became a British Crown Colony in 1874 when the chiefs of Fiji ceded their islands to Queen Victoria. Initially, European settlers welcomed British rule but soon became disillusioned with it as a result of the policies of the first governor, Sir Arthur Gordon, who restricted the amount of land they could obtain and denied them the use of Fijian labourers. The introduction of Indian labourers in 1879 did little to appease European settlers who claimed that unlike the large Australian Colonial Sugar Refining Company they could not afford the cost of imported labour. The Federation Movement in Fiji 1880-1902 examines European settlers' failed attempts to federate with various Australian states and with New Zealand as well as their political gains during the period which laid the foundation for European political dominance in the Fiji islands.