Share-Farming Copra
Experiment by Gizo Planters Fighting the Depression
Written for The Pacific Islands Monthly, by Mr. Leslie F. Gill, of Gizo, British Solomon Islands A GROUP of planters in the Gizo District of the British Solomons is trying out a system of share-farm ing with their native labourers, as an alternative to shutting down alto gether.
In this, they have the sympathetic assistance of the District Officer, Cap tain Middenway, who has been at great pains to explain the scheme to the boys and to assure them of its fairness.
The settlers feel deeply grateful for the help accorded, as the attitude to industry of most officials hitherto has been one of Olympian aloofness, verg ing on boredom, rather than one of help and understanding.
In its essentials, the scheme now be ing tried means that the planters hand the working of their estates over to their boys, paying them an agreed price for the copra produced. All labour contracts are cancelled and the boys provide their own rations.
Something of the sort had to be done or plantations would have to close down.
It amounts to a change from the con tract or indenture system to a system of payment by results.
Under the contract system, the cost of native labour fell roughly into three divisions. 1. Wages, equal £ 1 per month, per boy. 2. Rationing, equal £ 1 per month, per boy. 3. Recruiting and Repatriation, equal £ 1 per month, per boy.
From this it will be noted that out of an approximate total cost to the planter of £3 per month, the labourer received only £1 as wages.
It was put to the boys that by break ing away from that system and working free, they could earn substantially more, even after buying their own food.
The planter could give more because he was relieved of the expense of ration ing, and maybe by having a high earning labour force they would be possibly more inclined to stop with him for a longer period and thus spread— and so reduce—the charges for recruit ing and repatriation.
30 Per Cent. Of Planters Adopt
Scheme
A trial of this scheme was made. It proved so successful that other estates followed suit and boys even approached their masters with a request to be al lowed to work under the new system To-day, perhaps, 30 per cent, of the planters of the Gizo district are work ing on the new basis. The boys are all making more than their previous wages, many are making more than double—after paying for their own food.
These net earnings should be increased when the boys grow their own food on land freely offered them by their white co-partners.
The plan has been in operation over six months and has given satisfaction to all concerned. The planter now knows where he stands, as he only pays by results. The boys, in their turn, are handling more money then ever before.
Incidentally, the incentive to earn more has greatly increased the labourer’s efficiency.
But it is still only an experiment and one to be encouraged and aided by a wise Administration. For out of it might very well come the salvation of industry in the Solomons.
The same plan succeeded in Fiji when Colonial Sugar Refining Company faced with a similar problem, virtually handed over its estates to the Indians for working on a similar basis.
Government Co-Operation
Necessary.
While the plan is in its infancy per haps the less regulation there is the
better. But in one respect Govern mental support is necessary and desir able; that is along the lines of requir in'* a boy to {five some earnest assur ance or to sign some undertaking to remain with nis co-partner for a reas onable period in return for the gener ous advance the latter has voluntarily made in the boy’s status and remunera tion.
As things are, the whole of one’s labour force could cease work at a mo ment’s notice and demand to be sent home. Planters had to take, and still take, that risk. But they ask that the Government should now take steps to have that risk minimised.
Later, of course, when this native race is more educated and more res ponsible, even the small amount of regulation now sought could be re moved.