State-Owned Ships

For The South Pacific

INDICATIONS are that the British Socialist Government, like the Aus tralian and New Zealand Govern ments, intends to take a larger share in trading and development operations in the South Pacific Islands over which it has jurisdiction. This relates particularly to shipping.

Captain MacDonald, who is well-known m Fiji—he was habour-master in Suva for some years was in Sydney in January to complete the purchase, from Australian War Disposals Commission, of five small ships, of from 100 to 500 tons, for trading and com munication work in the Gilbert and Ellice Colony and in the British Solomon Islands. Captain MacDonald was des cribed as Marine Superintendent for the High Commission of the Western Pacific.

It was reported that between 30 and 40 Fijians were being taken from Suva to Sydney by air in order to sail the first of these newly-purchased vessels from the Australian coast to Fiji.

One does not hear much about what is called “the Gilbert Islands trading scheme” —but one gathers that it is a kind of native co-operative society spon sored by the Government —in this case, the High Commissioner for the Western Pacific. Mr. Protheroe. who was manager for Morris Hedstrom Ltd., at Haapai, in Tonga, has been loaned by Morris Hed strom Ltd., to the Commission in order to manage and direct “the Gilbert Islands trading scheme.” Presumably the new vessels will tie in with the operations of that concern.

Thus, the operations of the big com panies, which formerly took care of all trading and shipping are being supplanted by “State enterprise.”