Tongan Bananas

Big Contract With New Zealand

Another Loss To

Australia

From Our Own Correspondent.

Nukualofa, Oct. 28.

IT is now definitely stated that the Union S.S. Co. of New Zealand will send to our group every month a vessel for the direct carriage of Tongan bananas to the Dominion.

In anticipation of the arrival of the first of these ships, scheduled for early December, we learn that the Government has placed orders in New Zealand for a continued supply of crates—a supply commencing with a modest 2,000, and which it can reasonably be expected will extend to 10,000 a month by the middle of next year. It is predicted that the group will be in a position to actually fill 20,000 cases per month by the end of 1932; but these future shipments will, presumably, be controlled by demand.

As a starter, we understand that the Tongan Government has accepted, for a short term, a satisfactory contract price offered by a Dominion firm of buyers.

It is worthy of note that, although the price submitted by New Zealand for empty crates was far in excess of quotes received from other countries, the Tongan Government wisely decided to import from the Dominion. Thus our fruit destined for the New Zealand market will be packed in New Zealand containers.

We cannot refrain here from charging the Commonwealth of Australia with a lack of foresight in the matter of its Islands policy. It is to be expected that, owing to Fiji’s reciprocal agreement with New Zealand, Australia will gradually cease to interest that group to any extent,

and now Tonga is likely to follow suit.

For the past three months we here have heard nothing but shipping suggestions and fruit buyers’ offers. Did any of these come from the Commonwealth? Not on your life! New Zealand, with all her domestic troubles, has had sufficient vision to realise the necessity of not only retaining her “Islands” trade, but to extend it considerably, at the expense of a Com monwealth, which is apparently so busy scrapping in its own back yard that it is blind to the fact that Maori land by assiduous effort, is on the way to securing a monopoly of trade in the South Pacific Islands.

The little kingdom of Tonga has been purchasing from Australia goods to the value of £50,000 per annum.

But if a long-term banana contract is signed up with the Dominion, then “good-bye to all that.”

What is the matter with Australia, anyhow? ... ===