A. D. Patel: ke revisions ke biich ke antar
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1960 me ganna ke kisan ke harrtaal |
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Rekha 30:
1950 ke ganna ke contract contract ke 1960 me khalaas hoe ke rahaa, jab ki [[January]] [[1959]] me [[Colonial Sugar Refining Company (CSR)]] ek nawaa contract baane ke kisan logan ke sign kare ke bhejis, jisme kisan logan ke pichhle 20 saaal me jon kuchh mila rahaa uske band kare ke prastao rahaa. Kisan logan ii decision liin ki uu logan ke ek saathe hoe ke kaam kare ke chaahi aur ii khatir, [[May]] [[1959]] me Federation of Cane Growers banawa gais jiske khaas agwa A.D. Patel rahaa. Sarkar, Company aur Federation ke biich me kuch meeting bhais lekin Company pichhe nai hatis kahe ki uske lage godaam me dher chini rahaa. Sarkarii sujhao diis ki ek Commission of Inquiry ke baithawa jaae lekin Patel batais ki kisan logan ek Court of Arbitration maange hai.
[[24 July]] [[1960]] me, Kisan Sangh ke [[Ayodhya Prasad]] aur Labasa Kisan Sangh ke [[Vijay R. Singh]], Federation se nikal ke 1960 ke ganna khatir ek contract pe sign kar diin.
▲On 24 July 1960, Ayodhya Prasad of Kisan Sangh and Vijay R. Singh of Labasa Kisan Sangh, broke away and signed an agreement with CSR for the purchase of the 1960 crop. Tensions rose as Patel’s opponents, B.D. Lakshman and Vijay R. Singh, accused him of again dividing the Indians and leading them further into debt and some Fijians, including Rau Mara, made calls to have A.D. Patel deported. The Government appointed a commission of inquiry, headed by Sir Malcolm Trustram Eve, into the sugar industry. The Federation Committee was represented by A.D. Patel, assisted by S.M. Koya. Patel wanted legislation compelling CSR to keep it book of accounts in Fiji so that the Company could not cheat farmers from the proceeds of molasses, establishment of growers co-operative mills to break the monopoly of the CSR, setting up of an independent Sugar Board to oversee smooth functioning of the industry and the abolition of the Sugar Price Stabilisation Fund.
The finding of the commission was mostly against the demands of A.D. Patel. The idea of cooperative mill was rejected because the commission believed that the farmers could not manage it when could not even manage farms on their own. The commission supported CSR’s idea of setting up wholly owned subsidiary for managing its activities in Fiji and the South Pacific Sugar Mills Limited was born. Future levies to the Sugar price Stabilisation Fund were abolished, although the fund remained in existence. Instead of a Sugar Board the commission recommended an Advisory Sugar Council. The commission agreed that the CSR had profited from molasses but did not recommend price increases demanded by growers. The commission supported the Company’s submission of production control by weight instead of area. On the question of sharing the proceeds from the sale of sugar, the growers ended up worse off, getting a basic share of 57.75%, much less than what had been obtained under the 1950-1959 contract (62.6%). Eve also criticised Patel for adopting policies that harmed the growers and not showing a greater sense of responsibility to the country of his adoption.
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