Fourteen Isolated Administrations!

WE have frequently pointed out, in these columns, the need that exists for some organisation which will provide facilities for an exchange of opinions and experiences between the 14 different Administrations (British, Australian, New Zealand, American, French and Japanese) which control the various Groups and Territories of the Central and South Pacific. At present those 14 Administrations occupy 14 water-tight compartments.

There are numerous cases in which, if the people of an island wish to communi cate officially with the people of another island only a few miles away, they must address themselves to more or less legend ary officials on the other side of the world This is no exaggeration —many instances can be given. Even in Territories under the Union Jack the anomalies persist.

Bougainville, for instance, in the Nor thern Solomons, is part of the New Guinea Mandated Territory, and is re sponsible to Canberra. A man standing on the coast of Bougainville could nearly throw a spear across to Shortland Island,

in the Solomons; but if a Shortland Islander were injured by the Bougain ville spear he would have to make his complaint to London, via Suva, which, in turn, would communicate with Can berra and Rabaul. Certain of the Cook Islands are very close to certain of the islands near Tahiti, But the Cook Islanders may address themselves on matters of inter-island import only to Wellington; whereas the people in the Tahiti Territory make their representa tions through Paris. There is only an imaginary line between Eastern and Wes tern Samoa; but the official views of Western Samoa go to New Zealand, thence perhaps to London and Geneva, while the formal representations of Eastern Samoa must be conveyed to Washington, U.S.A. And so on, ad nauseam. Everyone has recognised that there is a need for some comprehensive organisation to short-circuit all this offi cial foolishness; but no one has yet been able to do anything.

There has developed now a condition which vitally affects the whole of the

South Seas in common, and which could be dealt with perhaps in an effective manner if there were such an organisa tion; and in connection with which we are inclined to say “I told you so.” That condition is the trouble which has fallen upon the copra industry.

Nearly all the Pacific Territories have some industry peculiar to themselves.

There is sugar in Fiji, gold in New Guinea, rubber in Papua, nickel in New Caledonia, and cocoa in Samoa. But throughout the whole of the South Seas there is one industry common to every Island —copra production. Coconuts have been aptly called “the Consols of the East.” One could sail a schooner throughout the length and breadth of the Pacific, and forget all currency exchange problems, if one could only carry the universal and übiquitous coconut in the shape of copra. It is the staple product of the coral islands particularly, and a medium of ready exchange. For 50 years it has been produced by everyone —from the rich international combines which grow coconuts on a carefully organised, scientific basis, in order to pay dividends to shareholders all over the world, right down to the untutored sav

age who husks a few nuts and dries their meat in the sun, in order to exchange his copra for a lap-lap or a stick of tobacco.

On page 52 of this journal will be found a list of prices current for copra since January, 1931, and it will be seen there that this South Seas product has fallen in value within four years in a manner that has disturbed and dislocated the whole of the economic machinery of the Pacific. We need not labour the point. The questions in the mind of everyone interested are: Is there a future for the copra industry? What is to be done about it?

Readers of this journal know what has happened. The copra industry has been affected, of course, by the economic de pression, exactly in the same way as other primary products; but other important factors have operated. The suggestion that there has been vast over-production is offset by the fact that every bit of copra being produced (and the world production for 10 years has increased by over 25 per cent., to about 1,100,000 tons per annum) is being consumed —though at a greatly reduced price. The. really disturbing factor—and it is peculiar to the copra industry—is the discovery of new processes of purification and de odorization, which have allowed manu facturers to use other oils and fats in fields of enterprise where hitherto coco nut oil was the only or principal raw material. To-day, coconut oil definitely is on a competitive basis with such things as Soya bean oil, peanut oil, and whale oil. Hitherto, for a wide variety of uses, coconut oil was unchallenged and supreme.

It is not wise to prophesy—strange things happen in the world markets which govern the prices of primary pro ducts —but there seems to be little doubt that the men engaged in the copra in dustry must face an entirely new set of conditions. There clearly is still an enormous world-wide demand for copra; but it seems just as clear that the market price of copra in the future will be governed by the values of the competing vegetable oils and whale oil. Therefore, that section of the copra industry which has been built up on values of £14 per ton and mere must re-orientate itself. It must undergo a far-reaching financial review and readjustment, so that it can make a profit out of copra at £10 or £12 per ton (sterling, c.i.f., London). Three or four years ago, when copra fell under £15 per ton, South Seas planters declared themselves ruined. But far-reaching changes have taken place since then, and it is now argued that well-ordered planta

tions can carry on comfortably enough at £10 per ton.

At the moment of writing (mid-July) there is an interesting development in progress. The price of first-grade copra has jumped suddenly by about 30/- per ton; but the quotation for smoke-dried and poor class copra is as sick as ever it was. This surely means that if the copra industry is to flourish in the South Seas in the future there must be strict supervision of production and grading, and generous assistance given to planters to enable them to instal first-class and efficient hot-air driers in place of the crazy contraptions and lazy methods which so many of them have employed.

An effort should be made also to instruct natives in the production of good copra and prevent their sending to the market the lamentable rubbish that so often is hawked in Europe and which unques tionably tends to depress the value of South Seas copra generally.

There is another aspect. Not only is it necessary to take united action in the Pacific to police copra production and secure a better grade; but it is also de sirable that the principal countries con cerned wdth coconut growing should see whether it is not possible, by co-operative research and industrial encouragement, to develop new uses for the rich and fragrant product of the coconut palm.

Surely it should be possible to stimulate a far greater world consumption of coco nut oil and coconut-cake.

So much could be done in these direc tions if only some Government, or some institution with an official status, could be induced to take the lead and organise unity of action between a few of these many Administrations interested in Paci fic Territories. They all are waiting and eager for something to be done, but not one of them seems capable of making a move.

The copra industry is not the only in terest they have in common; there are a dozen others. If once unity of action re garding the copra industry were secured, co-operative effort might be possible in many other directions to their consider able mutual profit.

Mr. J. H. Ahearn, New Guinea manager for the Vacuum Oil Company, returned to the Mandated Territory by the Tanda on July 14, after three months’ furlough in Sydney.

Mr. Arthur Dallon, of Papua, died at the Samarai Hospital on June 10, at the age of 65. He had been a resident of Papua for over 30 years and for the last few years had been engaged in trading and fishing.