Can We Take The Gamble Out Of Pacific Islands Planting?
pp. 5-6 · Read in the full issue
Pacific Islands Planting?
PRESENTLY perhaps before the end of 1946—0ur post-war crop of troubles will be passing. At present, what with widespread industrial disturb ances in all the bigger countries, revolu tionary movements throughout Indonesia, a crippling lack of transport, a mis guided politician’s attempt to Introduce a Socialist Utopia in New Guinea, and general economic dislocation, it is prac tically impossible to make any plans for the social progress and industrial develop ment of the Pacific Islands Territories.
Big events are pending. Even had there been no Anglo-American financial agree ment, the post-war drive for new Ameri can trade would have invaded all the Pacific Territories at an early date —it is already doing so in a number of cases— and the Territories would have benefited accordingly. As it is, with British and American plans for future world trade to be harmonised in accordance with their mutual interests, very 'important developments in all Pacific Territories capable of development are certain.
Leftist politicians are likely to be a nuisance generally, just as they already are a nuisance in New Guinea and Papua.
Perambulating 'theorists, like the irre pressible Evatt, of Australia, insisting that they have a mission to save the poor, unprotected Pacific Islands natives from “exploitation,” are going to sit around in all future international conferences, and howl about “trusteeship.” The in credible situation in New Guinea, where ignorant interference with 1 established conditions has paralysed, for the present, all enterprise and most settlement, may be repeated in a number of Islands Ter ritories.
It is no use telling these power-mad dened politicians that there is very little
wrong with the condition of the Pacific Islands natives and that* all that is wrong can be put right by the ex perienced authorities whose policies and methods have been evolved in long de cades of trial and error. They must save Fuzzy-wuzzy! These things will go on until the inevitable swing of the political pendulum wipes out the extremists, and gives us Governments of a different colour—dull unimaginative and re actionary, perhaps, but at least permit ting full play of the private enterprise, individualism and pioneering spirit, which represent all that is best in the Anglo- American character.
Even if there had been no political interference in Pacific Islands adminis tration, we should have experienced much of this exasperating delay in the restora tion of normal conditions, because nothing can be done in the Islands world with out sea transport, and the available sea transport is very limited. The demand for ships to feed and repatriate the Ser vicemen has been, and still is, almost as great as the demand for ships to carry the troops to the war zones, and take supplies to them there. But repatriation is proceeding rapidly. In a very few months, the ships will be returning to normal services. Then, the only obstacle to rapid Islands developments will be political.
ONCE all obstacles are cleared away, the movement of Europeans from all countries towards settlement in the Pacific Territories will attain proportions that are not even imagined now. Count less thousands of people, most of them with substantial private capital, will be seeking a home in the clean, isolated, fertile Islands, where they can produce
most of their own requirements, and be free from the punishing taxation and ceaseless social and industrial turbulence of the bigger countries. Inquiries from innumerable sources indicate that that “rush” will commence in 1946 or 1947.
Nearly all these new settlers, as well as residents already established, will wish to produce something from their gardens and plantations to supplement their modest incomes. In addition, if there is any real encouragement and protection of enterprise, hundreds of thousands of pounds and millions of American dollars will be available for investment in plan tation enterprises in all the worthwhile Pacific Territories.
Faced with this certainty—it is more than a probability—there is urgent need for united action by the Pacific Terri tories Administrations to direct —if not to control—the Pacific planting industries of the future. In the past, almost all planting enterprise has been blind and haphazard. The fact that a particular region can produce good coconuts, or cocoa, or rubber, or coffee, or innumer able other things, is not justification for a planting enterprise. Thousands of pioneering hearts have been broken and millions of money lost in the Islands because, when the enterprise had been launched, and the produce submitted for sale, it was found either that the market was over-supplied, or was in the grip of some ruthless, blood-sucking monopoly.
ONE meed only study the pre-war opera tions of a merciless combine like Unilever to realise that, under modern world conditions, the mar keting of primary products cannot be left to the old haphazard law of supply and demand. There is nothing wrong with the law—it is fundamentally sound. But, when an international combine like Unilever can control demand, it is neces sary that some other interest, equally powerful, shall control supply. Otherwise producers will be always at the mercy of the monopolists—just as the coconut
growers, for 15 years prior to World War 11, were merely helpless puppets in the hands of Unilever.
If these Leftist politicians who are rac ing around the globe, shouting about “trusteeship” and the rights of the in different natives, only would give some time and attention to the problem of creating an international authority, to direct and regulate production in the interests of the producers, we should view the future of Pacific Islands settlement with more confidence.
It is quite easy, now, to give would-be settlers information about the availability of lands, land tenures, the possible pro ducts of various districts, the labour supply, the rainfall, and so forth; but it it is quite possible, under present conditions, to say that any particular crop will be a payable nroduct a few years hence. And it takes anything from five to ten years to establish coconuts, rubber, coffee, cocoa, citrus, etc.
ANY reliable indication of future prices cauld come only from an interna tional authority with very wide, far reaching powers. We are to see much International .organisation in the early future. If there is to be any future security for primary producers, and any real attempt made to control cartels, some international body—the United Nations for preference—must take hold of the problems of marketing and distribution.
Even in the interests of Fuzzy-wuzzy, something of the kind should be urged.
It is no use introducing Fuzzy-wuzzy to higher standards of living, and teaching him to be a peasant producer, unless there are reasonably safe markets for the things he produces.
If it is possible for the world’s money changers to organise to beat the law of demand, it also is possible to similarly beat the law of supply.