Solomon Islands: Native Wages and Recruiting

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Native Wages and Recruiting From Our Own Correspondent TULAGI, Jan. 2.

IVTOW copra has risen, plantation owners think there may be revision of the wages rate. Whether this should be the case or not, it is hoped that recruiters will get a little better recompense for their work. This is the time for the advancement of recruiting fees to a payable rate.

How recruiters have managed to carry on for the last three years on the low fee of £7/10/- is one of the mysteries of the times. Now that copra is up, planters may allow recruiters a living wage. That plantation people realise the present fee is insufficient, is shown by the fact that no firm in the Group now runs its own recruiting ships. All have tried and all found it a losing proposition.

Our natives are progressing. I called at the emporium of a newly established Chinese trader out in the wilds, where the luxuries of life have not always abounded, and asked for a loaf of bread. Lee Chung replied, “No makee bread. Boy he say, spose gottem butter alright, kai kai bread!

Bread nothing, no good.” So he makes “cakes,” with a dash of sugar in them, to satisfy the demands of these exacting customers.

Since its beginning, our little capital has been no City of Churches. Special services have been held from time to time in the Court House, and religious consolation has been provided by devout persons to the denizens of His Majesty's Prison, but there has been no place of worship in Tulagi. Now rumour has it that not only the Church of England, but also another powerful denomination, is to erect a church.

The last Bremerhaven brought back Mr.

Henry Kuper from what must have been a most enjoyable tour of the East.

The Bolton has arrived, bringing with her the Barlus, Captain Elder’s new command, which is to gather in the nowprecious copra for W. R. Carpenter and Co, in the Solomons.

The present price of copra has assisted navigation! Ships approaching land are, far out to sea, made aware of the distant villages by the smell of cooking copra wafted out over the ocean from every grove—a perfume unfamiliar for a long time. It is the best Christmas box most people have had for many years. In view of the fact that there are undoubted signs of something definite being done by the Pioneer Company in connection with their gold leases on Guadalcanal, there is still hope of prosperity for the New Year.

The month of November seems to be the season for snakes to be abroad in the Solomons. An unusually large number were seen or killed all over the islands at that time. If this mild plague of serpents repeats itself annually at this season, the fact should be of interest to students of natural history.

The P.I.M. travels far, as is proved from time to time. A resident, whose name appeared in this paper a few issues ago, received Christmas greetings from a member of the crew of the Joseph Conrad, who had seen the magazine in New York, and so was reminded of friends he met on his visit here.

The first of the wireless transmitting sets which the Government is experimenting with, has arrived, and it is hoped this will be the beginning of better communication generally through the Group. The first set is being sent to Mala District.

The Japanese taken on the poaching sampan are still held at Tulagi. Their sampan also is here. Local people are hoping that a few more will be captured and taxation reduced.

There is every reason to believe that the gold industry will be established here.

Apart from the Pioneer Company, very promising results are now showing from other prospects, some not far from the Pioneer holdings. Great interest is being