Asiatics For Solomons.

[To the Editor.]

Sir, —1 note in the May issue of ‘‘The Pacific Islands Monthly,” that Mr. Geof.

Clift again comes out in advocacy of Asiatic labour for the Solomons.

Let’s examine his arguments. He says, “Like many other Groups, the Solomons are in the unfortunate posi tion of being wholly dependent on copra.” Well! for the five years ending March, 1930 (the last figures at hand), our average annual exports showed £20,000 worth of shell, £13,200 worth of ivory nuts, and £6.809 worth of timber.

All self-grown natural resources: surely not too insignificant to mention!

We have no bananas, pineapples, rubber, cotton, sugar, or coffee, but is this not a circumstance to rejoice over rather than lament?

If one only has toothache, he can give it his undivided attention to effect a cure or relief, but if he has cancer, rheumatism, haemorrhoids and menin gitis, and a few other minor complaints thrown in to make good measure, it follows that recovery is likely to be somewhat delayed. Mr. Clift more or less agrees with this, when he says, “We hope that the rising price of copra means the end of the depression as far as we are concerned,” and so it would be if copra held the price it was when he made this remark (about £l7 per ton) but alas! even to hope for such a thing- shows a lack of study of the world’s maladies.

Why does the world (or rather its human element) so consistently ignore the laws of average and of supply and demand? Surely, it is not reasonable fo expect caviare prices in this industry, while the average standard of living is so reduced!

The most important reason for im ported labour can be only “to produce more.” Well, then (pardon my Socra tical tendencies) but how much better off will the Solomons, or the world, be if we increase our output a hundred fold? Why produce more of a com modity that is already over-supplied?

Surely, it is wiser to have the world’s markets properly regulated rather than glutted, and so unable to return to the producer a fair margin of profit!

Then comes the argument that the Government would benefit because each Asiatic would pay £1 poll tax and that imports and exports would increase ac cordingly. Truly this is a crushing de nunciation of the White Australia policy; for how ridiculously easy it would be for Australia to become af fluent by flooding her shores with the overflew of the surplus populations of the northern countries?

Again, Mr. Clift says, “An interming ling between Asiatics and natives would improve the native race.” This is a rather rash statement. If “The Pacific Islands Monthly” articles are at all reliable, to say nothing of hearsay, Solomon Islands labour is close to being the best for copra production in the Pacific. Where, for instance, will we find labour averaging a better daily task than 800 lbs. of green copra (gathering and cutting out) which is claimed on some of the better super vised plantations here? Would an in termingling of blood improve on this?

Well, hardly!

The intermingling question, of course, takes us somewhat beyond our depth, though it is within the bounds of pos

sibility that if the world goes on long enough, there will come a time when its whole population will blend into one huge family, but, for the meantime, it is a questionable policy to pursue, for, “Better the devil we know.”

I am etc ’

Solomonoo.

TnGcH t,, n o 7 ll, la*i, June 7 -