Australian

Rice.

Fighting for Pacific Market.

THERE have been conflicting reports about the development of the Aus tralian rice trade with Fiji.

It will be remembered that Australian rice was finding a ready market in New Caledonia, when it was abruptly shut out by the special action of France, who took this means of retaliating against the Australian tariff.

Australian shippers of rice then found a very good market in Fiji, where some 80,000 Hindus seek the cheaper classes of rice as a staple article of diet. Fiji grows a considerable quantity of rice— as is described in an article elsewhere in this issue—but it does not nearly meet the local demand. It was found that, owing to the exchange position, it was possible to sell partly-dressed Aus tralian rice in Fiji for native use at about £11 per ton, f.o.b. Sydney—which price competed successfully with the importations from Burma.

This market has been developing in a healthy way, but there have been re ports in Australia that, because Aus tralian trade was favoured by the ex change position Australian rice ship pers were really dumping and that the Fijian Government was inclined to take action. Australian interests more readily took alarm, because of the ac tion of Fiji a few months ago in remov ing Australia from the British prefer ential tariff and placing her products on the middle-grade tariff. This, of course, was retaliation against Australia, be cause Australia has shut out Fiji bananas.

Our enquiries, so far, do not bear out the report that the Fiji Government will specially tax Australian rice. There is always the possibility of developments in that direction, however. Officially, Fiji is not at all friendly towards Aus tralia, owing to the banana situation.

In a personal letter to the Editor of The Pacific Islands Monthly, Lt.-Col. T.

Orde Lees, O.B.E., a well-known journal ist and traveller, writing from Auckland on January 7, 1932, says: I am a journalist, at present repre senting The Japan Advertiser, and for merly sole correspondent in Japan for The Times, London.

It was in June of last year that I first came across your very excellent publication; so well written, so well printed. Since then I have been able to secure every number, and it has been of immense value to me and has actu ally saved me pounds in planning a very extensive journey which has, so far, taken me to the Marianne Islands, the Caro lines, Celebes, Halmaheira, Bali, Java, Papua, New Caledonia, New Hebrides and Norfolk Island.

It has been due entirely to The P.I.M. that I have been able to find out the means of reaching several of the places I have visited and intend to visit, and that I have been able to pre inform myself about the prevailing in dustries and topics in them.

Captain Sleeker, of the K.P.M. Le Maire, had not seen The P.I.M. until I showed it to him. He urged me to ask you to make it obtainable at the ports of the Dutch East Indies. Even in Japan it would have a fair sale.

The Japanese officers of the N.Y.K. steamer were anxious to purchase copies.