The Solomons

Plea for Reduced Administrative Costs

From Our Own Correspondent TULAGI, October 20.

THE annual Advisory Council meeting is timed to go off on October 28, when our four “good men and true,” representing planters and settlers, will again endeavour to bring about reduced administrative costs as opposed to increased taxation, to meet a dwindling revenue.

This last trip, the “Montoro” brought in only about 400 tons of cargo and 16 passengers, so some thing simply must be done to “bal ance the budget,” and as the truth of the assertion that “you cannot get blood out of a stone” cannot be denied it would seem that, outside of, an unexpected boom in produce mar kets, administrative reduction is the one sane remedy.

Strange as it may seem, a section of the community really favours in creased taxation and suggests an in come tax; but as it is true that “there is one born every minute” and “two married oftener,” it is always pos sible to find advocates of foot-warm ers in hades, or some such pleasantry.

Such a suggestion can only be taken as an ill-considered “swipe” at the creditor firms, whose balance sheets are about the only ones showing a credit balance these days, and it goes without isaying that iany handicap placed upon this fraternity must surely be passed along to their clients in one form or another.

The “Montoro” is to be taken off the run after three lean trips, but if we can retain the “Mataram” we will not think ourselves hardly done by.

Please God and B.P., we are not to descend to, say, the “Makambo.”

News of a 10/- improvement in the parity price of copra, due pos sibly to improved freight rates over seas, has been received with much thanks, and as the market seems on the mend, several planters have taken a risk and ordered an extra tin of cigarettes.

Increased Fees On Guns

In furtherance of the amended re gulation whereby we now pay a lic ence fee of 10/- per annum, per gun, in place of 10/- for any number of guns, the Tulagi sleuths have been hot upon the scent of unlicensed guns or anything that looks like one, and those who do not make a prac tice of keeping up with amended regulations are apt to find themselves sentenced to the “utmost rigour of the law.” It is to be hoped that the extra revenue derived therefrom will not be offset by a reluctance on the part of parents to import Christmas stock ings for their children, out of fear that they may contain pop-guns.

Half-Caste S Heavy Sentence

That “the law is a hass” may not be true in all cases is agreed; but the recent sentencing of a young half caste woman to three years’ gaol for breaking and entering a Chinaman’s trade store during the owner’s ab sence, is strongly felt to, be an argu ment in favour of the assertion —espe cially in view of the circumstances surrounding this unfortunate’s be haviour.

A half-caste deserves the sympathy of the community under any consid eration —particularly a female, since she is more or less despised by both branches of her parental species. She is usually considered “fair game” by a certain type of “white” who, is not over-burdened with consideration of her well-being. If such sentences as the above were passed along to this class of individual, perhaps the ends of justice would better be served.