Fibre Goods

Chance for Papua and New Guinea

AMOVE is being made to introduce into Australia cheap manufactured fibre goods from Ceylon. At present most of the fibre goods which Australia imports come from India. The fibre used by the Indian manufacturers, however, comes from Ceylon, and the Ceylon Coconut Board is now investigating the possibili ties of exporting Ceylon-manufactured goods direct to the Australian market.

Here is an opportunity for Papua and New Guinea. Australia’s imports of fibre goods amount to something like £lO,OOO worth a year, and instead of importing this volume of manufactured goods each year she could obtain the fibre direct from her own Islands territories, from the by products of the copra industry.

At present the copra industry in Papua and New Guinea uses only the kernel of the coconut; from a commercial point of view, the fibre is largely considered to be waste. It could be brought to Australia and turned here into cordage, twine, brushware, matting and other fibre goods.

Not only would this benefit the Pacific territories, but it would eliminate the necessity for importing in such large quantities and furthermore would provide employment for Australian workmen.