Being Sought

Copra Crisis

Means of Carrying On Being Sought

OWING to the lack of ships to take copra away, the position of the copra industry generally in the western Pacific Islands is exceedingly bad. The wreck of the “Admiral Wiley”, booked to lift copra in New Guinea, seems to have been the last tragic blow.

It is reported that Burns, Philp & Co.

Ltd., / in the Solomon Islands, are not able to accept any more copra, their stores being completely full. W, R. Car penter & Co. were still buying copra there, last week, but they expected to close down soon, when their stores were full.

Much the same position obtains in New Guinea and Papua. The big firms, recognising the vital needs of the plant ers generally, will continue to accept copra as long as possible; but both their storage space and ability to buy are not unlimited. All our correspondents—in Port Moresby, in Samarai, in Rabaul, in Madang, and in the Solomon Islands, Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa —report the same general conditions, and the same anxiety among producers.

As we go to press, we are informed that strong representations are being made in Australia to the Commonwealth Government and to the big firms, that they should jointly try to discover some plan which they may operate, for the purpose of keeping the copra industry alive —at least, for the present.