W.R.Carpenter Launches

To Mill Copra In

Sydney

W.R.Carpenter Launches New Industry

A NEW industry, the progress of which will be watched with in terest by copra-growers in the South Seas, has been established in Marrick ville, Sydney—a mill for the crushing of copra and the recovery of coconut oil.

The mill commenced operations about the middle of February, and is employing between 15 and 20 people.

There is provision also for the pro duction of desiccated coconut.

The mill is treating only about 30 tons of copra per week; but if the in dustry flourishes its operations can be quadrupled with little extra cost.

So far the only coconut, oil produced in Australia has come from Lever Bros.’ mills, and they have met Aus tralian requirements with a heavy type of oil, sold at £36 per ton. There is a duty of £12 per ton on imported coconut oil. Lever Bros.’ price recently was reduced from £36 to £28 per ton.

Mr. Carpenter’s new mill is working on an entirely new process—an Aus tralian patent partly chemical in its action. He is aiming to produce a very light, comparatively volatile coco nut oil, for which he believes there will be a readv market. Samples of production up to date are highly en couraging.

EDITORIAL NOTE. —It is a matter for sur prise that so little has been done in the South Seas to test out the method of sending coconut oil, instead of copra, to the world’s markets. Crushing is carried out very ex tensively in Ceylon, the Philippines and the Dutch East Indies, and the coconut oil from those places commands a ready sale at good prices. Disposal of the coconut cake might represent a problem; but the other coconut growing centres which crush the copra appear to have solved it. There should be a market for the cake in Australia and New Zealand.

What might be lost in the cake should be far more than made up by the saving in freight. A ton of coconut oil would not occupy anything like the space of a ton of copra.

Mr. Carpenter is not only to be congratu lated on his enterprise: he is also deserving of every support. If it is shown to be prac ticable to take South Seas copra to Sydney for re-export after conversion into oil, a new industry might be established in Aus tralia, which would be the means of Aus tralia regaining some of her lost trade with the South Seas.

Mr. J. G. Shearer has retired from the service of Messrs. Burns, Philp South Seas) Ltd.. Vila, New Hebrides, and has settled down in Brisbane. Mrs.

Shearer died at Vila some little time ago.