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pp. 8-9 · Read in the full issue
Planters
Plan For Copra Industry :: Support by Britain
A PLAN for handling, marketing and shipping the copra output of all the Pacific territories south of the Equator is taking definite shape, and may be expected to come into operation within the next few months. This is the plan outlined and finally framed at the Pacific Copra Conference in Sydney, early in January.
Mr. T. J. Collins, Australian Minister for Territories, who presided at the Con ference, told the “PIM” on February 12 that the plan now was under considera tion by the several Pacific Administra tions concerned, and he hoped to be able to make a public statement about it when he had their replies, at an early date.
Details of the plan are known to us, but we will not publish same until we have official permission.
It can be stated, however, that the plan, which, at first, was somewhat vague and unimpressive, was given shape and direction by the strong hand of the British Government, which undertook, in the event of co-operative action being agreed to as between the Pacific ter ritories, to purchase a surprisingly large amount of copra per annum.
The individual Administrations and Governments concerned must also under take certain obligations in the matter of providing a subsidy for every individual copra producer within their respective territories.
All interests concerned —the Adminis trations, the big merchandising firms, the big shipping firms, and the planters —come within the framework of this comprehensive plan. It is probable that there will be a central controlling authority, working through a committee in each territory. The French Colonies will benefit equally with the British.
We can say that the preliminary sur vey indicates that there will be, even tually, an organised market capable of taking care of practically the whole out put of the South Pacific on a basis which will allow the copra growers to carry on —but it should be emphasised that all this has become possible owing to the substantial support given to the plan by the British Government.
Messrs. Carpenter's Copra-Mill
Plan
REPORTS have been circulating in North American newspapers regard ing the copra-mills to be established near Vancouver by what is described as “a new company headed by the Austra lian millionaire”, Sir Walter Carpenter.
It was stated, for example, that the mill will cost 250,000 dollars; capital will be partly Australian and partly Cana dian: that the site of the mill was ori ginally in Vancouver, but because of trouble with the municipal authorities, was moved to New Westminster, on the Frazer River, near Vancouver; the mills plan to treat 24,000 tons of copra per annum, “from Samoa”; that the provi sional directors of the new company are Sir Walter Carpenter (president); R. O.
Campney, KC, E. F. Riddle, and E. E.
Buckerfield, as directors, with John Ray mond, of San Francisco, as American representative of the company. (See Foot of Column, Next Page)
(Continued from Page 6.)
We referred these various reports to the head office of Messrs. W. R. Car penter & Co. Ltd., in Sydney, and were informed that the published details were generally so incorrect as to be fantastic.
We were told that a project of the kind indicated is under consideration, but that it is not sufficiently advanced to permit of a statement being made.
We understand, however, that not only has the plan taken definite shape under the personal direction of Sir Walter Car penter (who is now in America) but that already the first mill is almost completed and will be in operation in March, and that it will be capable of treating copra at the rate of 30,000 tons per annum.
The project has been approved and sup ported by certain British Governments, and it is likely that this new Canadian mdustry, before the end of this vear, will be shedding a new benefit upon industry ac^c copra-producing