Solomons In The

Doldrums

NO Rehabilitation in Sight

rERE still is no indication, from offi cial sources, of what is to be the future set-up in the British Solomon Islands.

The Protectorate continues to be ad ministered, through the High Commission for the Western Pacific, as a kind of close preserve for natives; and no move whatever is being made to either re establish European planting and trading activities in the Group, or to encourage any Europeans to enter the area.

It is unofficially reported that the offi cial policy is to discourage all European industry, and to foster the idea of “the Solomons for the Solomon Islanders.”

Several months ago, the Administration took over Hu, one of Lever’s plant ations, at the eastern end of Guadalcanal.

It was cleared of wartime secondary growth, and driers of the Ceylon type were erected there. The plan is that this shall be a school where natives will be taught to make their own copra.

“In theory, the plan is excellent,” said one old BSI planter. “The trouble is that, in practice, not one native in a thousand has any desire to make copra on the commercial scale necessary if a copra export industry is to be established.

Copra is produced in order to make money. Europeans want money—Solomon natives, at their present stage of ‘civil isation’, do not.” fTTHE Administration is also trying to in- J. terest the natives in rice-growing.

The officials may have more success here. The natives like rice as a food stuff and might be induced to grow this crop, rather than their old-time food crops.

When the American forces were est ablished in Guadalcanal, they grew a lot of their own food, and they cleared and cultivated some 2,000 acres for this pur pose. The Administration plans to turn over much of this land to rice-growing,

in the hope of building up an export trade.

In recent months, between 300 and 400 acres were put under rice, and a first class crop was grown. Unfortunately, a Government ship from New Zealand sail ed for the Solomons and left the eagerly awaited harvesting machine on the wharf* so a line of a hundred natives with knives had to do the harvesting in a primitive way. The rice was treated in a couple of rice mills, brought in from Fiji, and an excellent product was ob tained.

Practical men can see the Solomons people growing rice for themselves* but for the same reasons that apply to copra! they cannot see an export trade develop ing, on native initiative alone.

VI/’HILE not encouraging the return of f T Europeans, the Administration is not putting obstacles in their way. But planters can do nothing because there are no ships running and, in any event. 9 wing to the attitude of officialdom, it is impossible to get native labour a re cent report from Honiara says that native labourers have been demanding 12/- per day, and that the Government proposes to make regulations to nermit of the registration and functioning of native labour unions.

One well-known BSI man, Mr. R c Symes, has been up in the Berande country looking for gold, and getting a little. He has been employing five native labourers, and has to pay them £3 per month, and all found. A Chinese firm, Chan Chong, is employing natives for 3/ “ da y GB/6 per week) and they ration themselves.

A letter from Tulagi, dated October 12, reports that, while the new copra ex port tax is officially 25 per cent., the Government is not demanding the full tax, but is taking 15 per cent. It matters little, anyway. Without transport and without labour, there just is not any copra to tax.

Pate Op Bsi

IT is supposed that the indifference of the British Colonial Office towards the repatriation and rehabilitation of Solomon Islands Europeans is due to the widely-held belief that, as soon as the loquacious gentlemen of UNO get around to the rearrangement of territorial boundaries m the South-west Pacific the Soiomon Islands will be linked with the Mandated Territory of New Guinea, and the Condominium of the New Hebrides as an Australian “defensive perimeter’’ controlled from Canberra.

Without having made any announce ment it already is apparent that the Socialist Governments of Britain, Aust ralia and New Zealand have agreed upon a policy of “the South Sea Islands for the South Sea Islanders:”—a part of which is the official discouragement of “European exploitation.”

What the Solomons Europeans are now experiencing at the hands of the British administrators in the Solomons is on all fours with the treatment of Australian planters, traders, and miners in Papua- New Guinea at the hands of Canberra officialdom. Therefore, the Solomons Europeans will experience no shock if the British Solomons are turned over to Can berra’s tender care.

Bsi Appeal To London

IT was stated in the November “PIM” that, in the opinion of competent men it should be possible to get war damage compensation from the British Govern ment, if proper representations were made in London. They pointed out that Mal ayan planters were .being compensated and re-established—so why not BSI planters?

Persons with BSI interests, who may

be prepared to co-operate in making such representations, are widely scattered, at present. They therefore have been asked to send their names to the editor of the “PIM”; and, when a sufficient number of names have been received, we shall place ; il these people in communication with each other, so that they may, if they wish, take unified action. Eighteen names have been sent in, so far; and, at an early date, these property-owners will be circularised.