Fiji’S Manpower Difficulties

Tragic Situation of Copra Industry

THE Director of Labour and National Service for the Colony of Fiji (Sir Howard Ellis) called for particulars of present and future labour requirements of employers in May, but only 55 replies were received, as against 183 submitted during the 1942 survey.

The man-power situation in the Colony, therefore, is left somewhat obscure; but it is evident that additional labour is required for all industries—dairy farming and meat production, timber, sugar in dustry, mining, rubber and, particularly, copra production—as well as for Gov ernmental works.

The copra-growers of Fiji are in the unhappy situation that, while the market is clamouring for their product, the local labour situation is bad, and is becoming steadily worse.

The Director, in his report on man power in July, said that only 18 replies had been received from planters, but these had indicated that an additional 288 men were required immediately. It may be assumed also, that other copra planters too are short of labour.

Extracts from the Director’s report, as published by the Government Information Office, follow: Many of the letters received from copra districts are depressing in their tone, and indeed some planters have good reason to be depressed in present circumstances.

Excluding the few estates in Lau. all the large plantations are situated on Taveuni, Rabi and in the Savu Savu district, all in Cakaudrove Province. It appears to be the case, however, that Taveuni Fiji ans with a few exceptions, do not work for Taveuni planters. Various reasons for this have been given to my depart ment. some by the planters and some by the Fijians themselves. It must be borne in mind too that the Fijians of Cakaudrove harvest some 6,000 tons of their own copra each year.

Planters have obtained most of their requirements in the past from the pro vinces of Lau and Kadavu. The usual practice was to send out a recruiter— and men recruited in this way were usually bound on a 12 months’ contract, a breach of which carried a criminal penalty.

Amongst the motives which led Fiji ans to enter into these contracts were the offer of a cash bonus payable on sign ing the contract—attractive to a man ur gently needing money for his taxes or for some other purpose; the desire to build an iron-roofed house, the cost of which was at one time equal to one year’s wages; the decision of a village to build a church or a cutter. It used to be quite common for 30, 40 or 50 men to engage themselves in this way for twelve months at the behest of their chief, and at the end of the period to take back to their chief the whole year’s earnings.

To-day these inducements no longer ob tain. For the man who wants a few pounds urgently there is plenty of more congenial work offering on Viti Levu, or near his own home. Materials for churches and cutters are no longer pro curable, and in any case the day is prob ably passing when young men will give a year of their lives for such purposes.

Another important factor is that where Fijians have coconut groves of their own they can earn considerably more by cut ting their own copra than the wages of fered for cutting the copra of others.

One planter put these earnings as high as 25/- a day—while he himself is at

present offering a wage of 3/- a day, with no food.

There can, of course, be no question of the importance to the war effort of the copra industry. It is equally clear that the industry is suffering from a serious shortage of labourers, though the total number of men required is comparatively small.

This is distressing, not merely on ac count of the loss to the war effort, but also because planters are unable to take full advantage of the high price now of fering after years of struggle against low prices.

In the absence, however, of authority to conscript workers for private industry, my Board is powerless to help individual producers. It has sought to help the in dustry in a general way by repatriating considerable numbers of Fijians formerly employed on war works, to their villages in the copra districts; and Government has also accepted my Board’s recommen dation that, for this and other reasons, further recruitment for the FMF should be stopped for the present. These meas ures have not had the effect of making many more men available to copra plan ters.

It is the case that in Vanua Levu, in Taveuni, and even in Lau there is still some reserve of Fijian man power, though we must bear in mind that every man in his village is engaged in necessary communal services and food production.

It remains for individual planters to tempt Fijians out of their villages by the offer of attractive conditions of service; and I fear that a few estates will have to live down a bad reputation with the Fiiians.

The present shortage is fortunately hav ing one good effect, in that those few em ployers who in the past found it necessary to resort freely to the courts in the man agement of their labourers, and who have been generally regarded by the Fijians as bad employers, are reported now to be adopting a more proper and sensible at titude towards their employees.

Copra Advisory Sub-Committee

rwas announced in Suva on May 30, that the Copra Board which was set up last year, had been disbanded and that, from that date, copra matters would be the concern of the Supply and Production Board. It was stated that planters were being invited to nominate one or more representatives to form a Sub-committee which would advise the Director of Agriculture in his position as Controller of Production and Marketing, on matters concerning the copra industry.

It was announced in August that the planters Sub-committee, set up to assist the Board comprised: Mr. H. B. Gibson—in respect of the Udu-Dreketi-Bua coast.

Mr. Arthur Robinson—in respect of the Kasavu-Vunilagi-Natewa Bay area.

Mr. John Graham Taylor, of Taveuni.

Mr. Sidney H. Wilson, of Savu Savu.

12/6 More For Copra

Dating from July 20, the Supply and Production Board sanctioned the increase of 12/6 ner ton on the price of each grade of copra in Fiji. The price will now be £FI6/12/6 per ton first grade; £FIS/12/6 second grade.

It was hoped—rather naively—at the time of the announcement that “the increased price would stimulate production.” In view of the foregoing report on the man

power situation it seems that it is a clear case of the spirit being willing, as far as copra producers are concerned, but the flesh of potential labourers being weak indeed.