In Sunny Fiji!

Servicemen —Grow Bananas In Sunny Fiji!

New Blood Needed in the Industry

Suva, Jan. 9.

WHAT is wrong with the Fiji banana industry? Forty years ago the Colony’s banana exports were over the million mark. Compare our recent figures: —

Exports are mostly to New Zealand.

A recent Commission attributed the deterioration of the industry to three fac tors; (1) Unsatisfactory, or even total lack of cultural methods; (2) inefficient grading and packing: and (3) unstimulat ing markets leading to careless market ing.

That is a severe castigation of the Ad ministration and of the few middlemen connected with the industry, and it re veals a disgraceful state of affairs in the Colony. It seems clear enough that the public is satisfied to let a few buyers make what there is to be made out of the fruit without attempting to build up the industry into something really worth while, much less develop it and make more out of it.

What happens in Fiji for the most part is that natives in a few areas sell their fruit from their small, uncultivated

patches—the trees grow almost un tended—to European buyers.

The buyers collect the fruit, ship it, and make all the profit. In other words, they batten on the native growers and exploit them. The New Zealand public, and those in Fiji who still eat bananas, get a poor product from wild trees.

The whole industry is chaotic and needs firm public control.

Here is another instance of a wonder ful opportunity awaiting a few indus trious men with a little capital. There is money to be made out of bananas. A few middlemen are doing very nicely out of them now, and they would not like to see competitors appear. But the spirit of enterprise is dead if there is no Britisher prepared to grow and export his own fruit.

A few practical outdoor, ex-soldiers, running their own plantations, willing to work and not leave things to the natives, would have a healthy life and a profitable occupation. The possibilities of our local fruit industries are great, but they re main neglected. (ED. NOTE: Another article on Fiji’s banana industry appeared in the Octo ber issue of “PIM.” In this present article, our correspondent does not make it clear whether the exports of 40 years ago ran into a million of money, or a million bunches. Either seems excessive.) Mr. C. Winterstein, a well-known mar iner and trader of Western Samoa, died at sea recently when returning from the island of Savaii.

Rev. E. Paul Helbig, who had been re siding for some time in South Australia, returned to New Guinea last month. Mr.

Helbig, a Lutheran missionary, has com pleted 40 vears’ service in the New Guinea field.

£ 1936 85,548 1937 80,071 1938 73,578 1942 42,400 1943 38,508 1944 . . 18,565 1945 42,954