N.I. Industries

Growth of Passionfruit Canning

IN his report for the year ended June 30, 1939, the Administrator of Nor folk Island, Sir Charles Rosenthal, gives some interesting information about the industries from which the 983 people on Norfolk Island obtain products for export.

There is a co-operative dairy factory and, although a drought during the year reduced the cream supplies by 75 per cent., the factory nevertheless produced over 26,000 lbs. of butter. This co-opera tive dairy company commenced opera tions in November, 1935, and is now firmly established.

The island is capable of producing over ;3,000 cases of citrus fruit each year, for which there is a ready market in New Zealand.

The production and export of Cana dian Wonder beans have been reduced by drought. In normal times, the island exports from 1,000 to 1,500 bushels of these beans.

On the island there are now two can ning plants for handling passion-fruit— a private plant, which last year canned 70 tons of passion-fruit pulp, and a plant recently established by a co-op erative company, which last year can ned 146 tons of pulp. There is said to be plenty of room for the extension of the nassion-fruit plantations, and a very good market in Australia and elsewhere for the pulp.

It is stated, also, that the Norfolk Island growers who have maintained their banana plantations are now ob taining very satisfactory prices for bana nas sent to the Sydney market.

The value of produce exported from Norfolk Island last year was £16,970, which is a much larger sum than has been recorded for many years. The largest total of exports since the de pression years was £11,879 in 1937.