B.S.I. Council

Some Important Reforms

THE annual session of the Advisory Council of the British Solomon Islands Protectorate opened at Tulagi on October 23. Members present were— Official: His Honour the Resident Commissioner (Mr. F. N. Ashley) President; Secretary to the Government (Capt. N. S. B. Kid son); Treasurer (Mr. F. E. Johnson, I.S.O.); Commissioner of Lands (Mr. S.

G. C. Knibbs). Non-official: Mr. D. Mac- Kinnon, Mr. G. E. Clift, Major F. R.

Hewitt, M.C. The fourth member, the Bishop of Melanesia, was absent on a visit to New Guinea The President read a telegram re ceived from the High Commissioner for the Western Pacific in which his Excel lency expressed of his interest in the Protectorate, and in the recommendations of the Advisory Council.

His Honour, before entering upon a de tailed survey of the administrative work carried on during the past year, made a statement of the action taken on matters discussed at the previous meeting.

On that occasion the non-official mem bers submitted strong recommendations that the Courts should be empowered to order flogging as part of the sentences passed upon natives convicted of com mitting offence against women. In re sponse, the High Commissioner had ap proved a King’s Regulation which pro vides for a flogging for any person con victed of indecent assault upon a female.

The Native Passes Regulation, which was adversely criticised, has been re pealed, except on Rennell and Bellona Islands.

The recommendation that fees for store licences be reduced was not accepted, but his Excellency is prepared to give favour able consideration to abolishing these licences altogether when conditions im prove, and revenue loss is of less vital importance.

The recommendation that the minimum rate of wages to labourers be reduced from £1 to 10/- per month was approved, and the amended scale comes into opera tion on 1st December. The rate of wages is to be re-investigated towards the end of 1936, or earlier.

The recommendation that employers should be relieved of the obligation to pay the tax of natives in their employ (the tax is collected from the natives when not under indenture, but from their employer when they enter into a contract of indenture) was not agreed to, but his Excellency approved a flat rate of 57being imposed in place of present rates which vary from 5/- to £1 per annum.

Decreasing Population.

On the problem of decreasing native population, His Honour said that an in vestigation was proceeding to ascertain

how far faulty nourishment and conse quent diminished virility might be re sponsible; and thus far reports showed that, with the possible exception of a few small areas, there was at least no short age of good local foods.

Last year the natives of the Protector ate, with only few exceptions, paid their tax: but this year, it was forecast, they might have some difficulty in doing so owing to the low price of copra.

Copra Industry.

Referring to conflicting reports and opinions on the future of the copra indus try, His Honour said it was difficult to arrive at any definite conclusion. It was fully realised that the plight of the smaller companies and individual planters was desperate, and many schemes to ren der assistance had been and were being considered, without, so far, a practical and equitable method having materialised.

It was forecast that revenue from im ports will realise the amount budgeted for, but the export tax on copra will be much less. Rigid economy in all depart ments of the public service is being exer cised. Officials who have been recently retired or transferred to other colonies will not, for the present, be replaced. The granting of fares to wives of officials proceeding on leave, except when tra velling with their husbands, will be dis continued.

The two entomological officers con tinued unremittingly their investigation of diseases and pests which afflict the coconut palm, and much useful informa tion has been acquired without, however, enabling them 1 , to arrive at a definite con clusion regarding the cause of “nutfall” and poor crops on many estates. The officers are now engaged in carrying out manurial experiments on randomised, re plicated plots, from which important in formation should be obtained.

Business on the agenda was then pro ceeded with. The following is an out line of the most important matters dis cussed:

Assistance To Planters

It was submitted that the most useful and permanent benefit would accrue from the erection on plantations of hot-air drying mills; giving improved quality of copra, and better prices than smoke dried. There was some divergence of opinion as to whether the cost of materials and the erection of mills should take the form of a free grant to planters, or be advanced as a loan with nominal or no interest. Further action was deferred pending investigations as to the most suitable type of mill.

The draft of a new Regulation to amend and consolidate existing labour regula tions was examined at length and, with recommendations for certain amendments, agreed to.

A proposed new ration scale for native labourers was discussed, and the scale proposed by the acting senior medical officer (Dr. Crichlow) who has had long experience of conditions in the Protector ate, was recommended.

Trading Conditions

An application by the South Sea Evan gelical Mission for permission to sell school requisites without taking out a store licence was opposed by non-official members on the ground that so long as traders, who kept a store, were compelled to take out a licence at a cost of £10 per annum, no exemption should be granted.

Government members voted in favour, and non-official members against.

A non-official member moved that cer tain obligations should attach to the issue

of trading licences. He pointed out that the Administration, apparently holding the view that European traders were not giving adequate services to the natives

of the Protectorate, had recently removed all restrictions as to the number of licences that might be issued to Chinese.

Experience now showed, he alleged, that

Chinese traders only dealt in those branches of trade which promised an assured profit, and so far from improving the service to the native community they were, in at least one large district of the Protectorate, flatly refusing to purchase copra while the price was low and specu lative, and thus, in places where Asiatics had secured a monopoly of trade, the natives could not dispose of their pro duce, which was necessary if they were to meet their tax payments. All Euro pean traders, it was claimed, were pur chasing copra in the areas in which they carried on their trading operations.

It was agreed unanimously that two sessions of the Advisory Council be held each year in order that all draft legisla tion bp submitted to ascertain members’ views before being enacted.