N.I. Industries

Passion fruit—Beans—Oranges— Fish

UNDER the vigorous direction of the Administrator, Major-General Sir Charles Rosenthal, and in spite of the trade handicaps imposed by war conditions, Norfolk Island is developing its economic resources and planning an increased export trade in passionfruit, beans and oranges. Messrs. Cottees, Ltd., of Australia, are handling the canned passionfruit, but are operating at a dis advantage because the war has restricted the oversea market for canned passion fruit.

When the Administrator was recently in Australia he made inquiries about mar kets for his territory’s products, and he reported as follows on his return to a meeting of growers: There was a good and increasing market in Australia for beans; while in Sydney he had examined N.I. oranges, in transit to New Zealand, and they suffered in comparison with Australian irrigation oranges—the latter were much larger and of more attractive appearance, but the N.I. oranges were much superior in flavour; that the K.P.M. line probably next season would put on two faster vessels to run between the Islands and N.Z., and one might make a regular call at Norfolk Island on its way to Auckland.

The Administrator said there was a shortage of fish in N.Z. and Australia owing to trawlers being used for war pur poses, and he believed that a fish export industry could be set up on Norfolk Is land. Messrs. Cottees, Ltd., were prepared to provide a fishing vessel and erect a freezer. The Commonwealth Government was anxious that the cultivation of N.I. flax should be proceeded with, and there also was a demand for ramie and other similar fibrous plants.

In a note to the Editor, the Admini strator says that the statement in the July issue of the “P.1.M.” that there are some scores of tung oil trees in Norfolk Island now yielding luxuriantly is not correct. There are a number of young tung trees doing well in Norfolk Island, but only one tree, in the Anson Bay dis trict, which is some years old, has borne abundantly during the past four years.

The Administrator also says that the plan to provide a sheltered anchorage at Nor folk Island refers to a proposed cause way from Point Hunter to Nepean Is land, and not from the boat-landing at Kingston to Nepean Island, as stated in “P.1.M.”. The boat-landing is approxi mately half a mile from Point Hunter.

Rev. Dr. Walter Ivens, vicar of Ware home, Kent, England, who was an author ity on Melanesian languages, died late in September, aged 70. For some years he was travelling secretary in the Pacific for the Melanesian Mission.