Better Copra Outlook

Prices Rise While Production Falls Board to Operate Only in N. Guinea

THE New Guinea Copra Control Board is expected to function early in September. From then on, growers will receive £4/10/- (for high-grade) on their plantations, plus whatever sum is available after the copra is sold, and expenses deducted.

As a result of much reduced produc tion. and better organisation of available markets, Pacific copra prices have improved. Rabaul hot-air dried now is worth at least £A6 per ton, at port of shipment. The New Guinea Board should be able to sell all the copra it takes over.

But the market for low-grade is almost negligible.

There will be no control board for Papua, for the present. Many Papuan plantations have ceased production—last year’s export was about 6.000 tons—half of normal. Natural trade channels will take care of that output. But the Aus tralian Government, anxious to main tain the coconut industry in Papua, and bring back the plantations to production, will watch the position closely and. if a special board is needed, as in New Guinea, a board will be appointed.

Whatever Solomon Is. copra is being produced, in addition to Lever production (which is shipped direct to Sydney’s mill), is being taken at current prices by the trading houses.

Fiji’s copra also is finding a market (as explained on pages 36-37), without it being necessary to appoint the proposed copra marketing board.

Therefore the position is, as we have indicated in recent issues, that natural trading laws have been able to take care of a South Pacific production that is 50 per cent, below normal, and the elaborate copra pooling and marketing machinery planned in January last is not needed.

New Guinea Plan Was Outlined,

Then Held Up

IN the early part of. July, the coconut planters of New Guinea understood that the Australian Government had decided to take the following mea sures for their assistance: — 1. The Copra Control regulations would be operated, under which producers would receive for their copra £4/10/per ton, on the plantations, and a copra control board, consisting of Messrs.

Hogan, Archer and McKenzie, was appointed and authorised to function. (See page 8 of July “PIM”.) 2. All planters who held their planta tions under mortgage would be relieved of the obligation to pay interest, during the period of the emergency, provided they could show that their inability to pay was due to the condition of the copra market.

Relief For Mortgagors

The latter provision was embodied in the Mortgagors’ Relief Ordinance, 1941, which was distributed to members of the New Guinea Legislative Council. But when the Council met, in mid-July, the Administrator announced that the Min ister desired that the Relief Bill be withdrawn, until the Minister was able to study the position himself, in Rabaul.

Planters were disappointed and angry —and said so—and when the Minister arrived, a week later, he found the atmo sphere hostile. However, his frank and businesslike manner reassured the plant ers. He had a number of talks with the

Planters’ Association: and, when he departed for Morobe District, the Associa tion believed that:— (a) The Minister had promised them that the Mortgagors’ Relief Ordinance would be proceeded with, in its original form. (b) The Minister had said there was no intention of delaying or altering the scheme set out in the Copra Control Regulations, and that the plan would be implemented as soon as the Copra Con trol Board was ready.

It appears, from a report in the “Rabaul Times” that the Minister quite frankly told the Planters’ Association that he was personally responsible for the holding-up of the Mortgagors’ Relief Ordinance, because he feared that, in certain possible contingencies, it would react unfavourably upon the planters themselves. He learned, however, in con versations in Rabaul with all the inter ests concerned, that the measure pro posed was the only practicable method of giving prompt and definite relief to mortgagors, in the peculiar circum stances of the Territory.

The Minister thereupon advised the Administrator that the proposed Ordin ance could be submitted to the Legisla tive Council at the earliest convenient date and that, so far as the Common wealth Government is concerned, there will be no reason why the Copra Mar keting Plan should not be brought into operation as soon as the necessary organisation can be completed.

Appreciate Control Board

From Our Own Correspondent

Rabaul, Aug. 3.

HON. Harry Adams, MLC, the Presi dent of the New Guinea Planters’

Association, speaking at the July sitting of the New Guinea Legislative Council, said: “I wish to express my appreciation of the support given to the copra industry by the Commonwealth Government and this Administration in introducing the National Security (Copra Control) Regulations. I also congratu late the Australian Government on its choice of the members of the local Copra Control Board. We are extremely for tunate in being given the services of these three gentlemen, and I think from my personal knowledge of them that there should be no hitch whatever in carrying out these Regulations.”

The High Court of Australia unani mously dismissed the application of Charles Jansen for special leave to appeal against the conviction imposed by the Supreme Court in Wau, TNG, on April 3, when Jansen was sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment on a charge of gold stealing.

On the night of August 8 a fire broke out in the heavily-stocked bulk store of the British New Guinea Trading Co., in Port Moresby. There are no fire-fighting facilities in the town —and pending the completion of the water plan, no water service—and the store and its contents were completely destroyed. The native police, who act as firemen in these cir cumstances, gave assistance; and a fall ing wall unfortunately trapped and killed one of them.