Coconut's Uses

Soap Factory in Fiji

From Our Own Correspondent

Suva, Aug. 20.

IN a recent issue of “PIM”, a corres pondent suggests that Suva might copy Colombo in starting the manu facture of side products of the coconut, such as matting, edible oils, coir, brooms, etc But it is doubtful whether much is possible in this direction. A coir fac tory, operated some twenty years ago on Taveuni, Fiji, but was not success ful and when it was accidentally burned down it was not rebuilt. The trouble is that the local demand is small, and the export prospect is handicapped by remoteness from notential markets and by the fact that Fiji’s scale of payment for labour is much higher than is usual in the East.

However, an increasmg amount of locally-produced coconut oil is being used in Suva’s prosperous and very well managed soap factory, and it is under stood that coconut oil is the basis of several edible products now issued by that factory.