Retrenchments

Proposed by Fiji Government Salary Cuts Thought Wiser

From Our Own Correspondent SUVA, October 2.

RUMOUR is rife as to the intention of the Government on the sub ject of economy and upon the proposals which will be submitted to the Legislative Council on October 13.

It, is understood that economies are being effected by, means of retrench ment of personnel, rather than by means of an all -round reduction in salaries. The Civil Servants are nat urally in one camp and the balance of us in the other. We believe that it would he economically sounder to make a cut of 10 per cent, in all sal aries, rather than throw a number of people into the cold, hard world.

One of Morris Hedstrom’s recent advertisements compare prices ruling in September, 1930, and September, 1931, and there is no question of the fact that there has been an all round reduction in the cost of living. The amount which any business can earn goes into a common pool, from which the employees receive their salaries and the shareholders receive their profits.

The finance of a colony is much on a parallel, since income from the produce exported likewise goes into a common pool from which Civil Servants and planter and native lab our alike take their share. And the case of the Colony is the case of all businesses in the Colony, in that the common pool available for division has been much reduced by circum stances quite beyond our control.

If firms such as Morris Hedstrom, Burns, Philp, and the Bank of New South Wales have felt it necessary to institute all round reductions in salaries (as is the case according to recent announcements) should not the same applv to the business of Fiji and Co.?

Need For Alternative Crops

The banana trade is recovering very slowly from the effects of the hurri cane. Many of the coconut planters on Taveuni have put in a few acres of bananas, but in general the situ ation of the coconut plantations in Fiji is not suited to alternative crops.

We cannot help feeling that such things as tung oil or cocoa might be developed at the Experimental Station under the auspices of our large staff of Agricultural Department experts.

The truth is, of course, that really sugar is king in Fiji, and that bananas and copra are minor crops in com parison.

In theory, pineapples should pro vide us with a fourth export crop and probably may do so at some future date. The present conditions of mar keting the crops, on account of trade depression through which both our local pineapple companies are pass ing, will force them to revise their idea of the profits which can be made from the pineapple industry.

Taking it on the whole, the Colony is weathering the storm reasonably well, and will continue to do so, unless those in charge of the navigation ask us to carry too much top-hamper.