13 Points

Woes of Solomon Islands Appeals to the High Commissioner

From Our Own Correspondent

Tulagi, July 4.

AS this mail leaves (July 4) the local stores report a famine in starch and brasso.

Tailors and laundrymen have been working night shifts to cope with ord ers in preparation for the visit (from the 6th to about 25th July) of His Excellency the High Commissioner, and it is fairly safe to assert that the nerves of even the Government office cat will be worn pretty threadbare before his departure.

The Planters’ and Commercial Asso ciation have drawn up a list of thirteen points to be laid before His Excellency as soon as a deputation is granted a hearing. They are as follow: (1) Economy of Government expenditure and reduction of official salaries and conces sions. (2) Ask for results of inquiries of Labour Commission conducted some considerable time ago. (3) Request that taxes of indentured natives should not be paid by employer. (4) Reduction of duty on trade and issue tobacco. (5) Discontinuance of compulsory issue of tobacco to labour. (6) Reduction of wages of indentured labour to 10/- per month. (7) Term of service of indentured labour to be extended to three years. (8) Use of dynamite for the purpose of obtain ing fresh fish for labour to be allowed. (9) Remission of or reduction of rentals of Crown Leases. (10) Immigration Bond restrictions to be revised. (11) Permission to be granted to import out side labour. (12) Suggestion that advice of Advisory Council should receive more sympathetic consid eration. (13) Request that Quarantine Regulation be revised.

Imported Labour Problem

While the Planters’ and Commercial Association endeavours at all times to express the wishes of the producing community, a goodly portion of it will not be in accord with point (11) of this list. On the face of things it certainly seems absurd to ask for a reduction of cost of administration in the one breath, and for imported labour (which MUST mean extra administrative costs) in the next.

This request mainly comes from Lever’s Pacific Plantations Propty. Ltd.

It is reported that Levers lost on last year’s operations. We also hear that it contemplates closing down if matters do not soon improve: it has already begun to curtail orders for recruits, in line with all other firms and individual employers, so that, at the present time there is a considerable surplus of labour available. As this state of affairs is likely to continue for some time to come, or until such time as the pro duction of copra is once again a profit able business, this hankering for imported labour only strengthens the suspicion that there is a “body in the bag” somewhere.

The main reason for imported labour is to increase output, and since the world is suffering from over-produc tion, the policy of still further increas

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ing the supply looks foolish. It is little short of a certainty that imported labour will increase the cost of pro duction to those employing it; and, in a lesser measure, all others by way of extra administrative costs. Why then bother about it until absolutely neces sary?

Point (1) in the list will at least find universal backing outside Government circles. While planters and traders have been reduced to a state of bank ruptcy or are drifting closer to it every day, and their employees (with perhaps the exception of Levers) have had to bear reduction and retrench ment, Government officials (in the words of one of them) “are really bet ter off now than they were in boom times, insofar as the cost of living has been somewhat reduced.”

It goes without saying that if the producer has to go out of business, the Government personnel will automatic ally be reduced to “One man and a dog,” as it was in the days before pro duction started; and, as it is plain that the world is not going to get over a 40 years’ drunk after a 24 hours’ head ache, the sooner reduction and re trenchment is brought about the better.

Reducing Native Wages

Point (6) howls for the relief of a staggering industry. Some few years ago the wage was increased from 10/to £1 per month, and a return to 10/would entail little or no hardship inso far as the labourer is “all found” and the extra 10/- mostly goes in gambling or some other luxury which he can well do without.

Natives are already complaining that if they are paid-off and are unable to find further employment, they will not be able to pay their taxes, which is quite a reasonable assertion, and one that the Government will soon be com pelled to sit up and take notice of.

Very few firms or individual planters are fortunate enough to be able to go on indefinitely producing copra at a loss, as they are doing at present, and although it is the policy of the finan cing firms to keep the wheels of industry turning, there must come a time when clients must be asked to reduce their accounts or take the con sequences.

Anyhow you look at it, both labourer and producer are on a very sticky wicket, and any assistance that can possibly be given should be passed along without delay.

A Plea For Mercy

Here let me say that Islanders gen erally are of the opinion that the financing firms could, if they wished, ease the situation somewhat. Pacts and figures (or balance-sheets) sug gest that they have not suffered nearly so much as the producer, and as the producer is their life-blood —their meal ticket, so to speak—it is not unreason able of him to expect a little more consideration.

Commodity prices and interest charges could easily be pared, to say nothing of freights and fares. It hits the Islander clean below the belt to be charged £18 for a seven days’ trip to or from Sydney, while the tourist gets a whole round-trip of about 31 days for £41. It completes the knock out when he learns that both Govern ment officials and Lever’s employees get concessions in fares.

The anomaly of the whole business is that the unfortunate producer, who is not financial, is asked to pay a higher rate for the purpose of enabling those who are to obtain cheaner fares Surely the justice of this point of view must soon be borne upon the minds of those responsible, when steps will be taken that will go far to create a better feeling between the parties con cerned than exists at the present time

Quarantine Restrictions

Point (13) touches mostly on the rhinoceros beetle scare, which has sud denly begun to worry the authorities Quite recently a shipment of house hold furniture and effects from Rabaul was refused admittance at Tulagi and it had to be transhipped back again to be fumigated. We now hear that Rabaul has no means of doing this and that our own particular species of beetle is far more destructive than their own anyhow (though it is cer tain that ours does very little damage) so it looks as though the unfortunate person who owns the furniture is faced with considerable loss. It is on the cards that he will have to sell it in Rabaul at any old price at all and then import a new lot from Sydney; but perhaps ere that eventuates there will be anew set of fumigation regulations out against Langism. or some other such pest, and he will be exposed to further loss.

A copra tramp, coming from ports where the destructive type of beetle resides, may enter and load in day light: but before sundown she must “up anchor” and put to sea. What evidence there is to prove that Mr.

Beetle could not possibly get ashore in daylight has yet to be put forward; but, as such a restriction will effect ively bar any boat from coming here from such ports, on the score of im practicability, the regulation might just as well have been so worded in the first instance. The whole thing will most likely mean increased freights overseas.

While on the subject of regulations, anew Poll Tax of £1 per head, per

annum, on whites and Chinamen has been inflicted. Also, where 10/- for one or more guns has been charged, we now pay a licence of 10/- per gun.

Other niggling little enactments have also been unearthed.

It is bewildering to try and follow the line of reasoning which bids that, when one might reasonably expect some relaxation in these matters to meet the frightful existing state of affairs, the opposite is the fact. It has been often enough said that “A fool defends himself at law,” and it can be said with equal truth that “An ignor amus sticks to the letter of it.” Let me hasten to add that the blame is not entirely confined to the Solomons.

Sorrowful islanders are unanimously hoping that the visit of His Excellency who will be able to gain first-hand information, will result in a straight ening out of most, if not all, these points.