London View of South Seas

Products

From a Special Correspondent.

London, Nov. 30.

TROPICAL produce prices are slowly rising-. There have been no startling developments. No doubt, stocks of oil are getting low, but somehow or other the system of living from hand to mouth is becoming really a part of modern life.

I am confident that copra producers could make a much better deal if they would only co-operate and charter their own ships to carry their produce to the European markets. I think that all those New Guinea estates should be called back by the Government. All debts due to the

trading firms should be liquidated and the whole of the estates should be run on a co-operative basis, both in regard to the selling of produce and the buying of com modities. There would be no need to place an embargo on the trading firms. If their quotes were attractive, then the co-opera tive organization would deal with them; but if not, then the co-operative concern would take its own line.

Mr. H. Somerset Vidgen, of Thursday Island, has announced his engagement to Sister Reed, of the Torres Strait Hos pital. Mr. Vidgen owns the plantation at Cape York, Northern Queensland, on which a landing ground has been pre pared for the use of airmen flying by the short sea route between New Guinea and Australia.