"Not Starving!"

Reader Sceptical of Panic Con cerning Bougainville Natives

A READER in Boungainville writes that reports that local natives are starv ing, are exaggerated. The natives lost all their taro crops; but plenty of kau-kau, tapioc, peanuts, coconuts and fresh fruit remained to them, and they appear to be just as healthy as before the war.

During the time when the panic con cerning them was at its height, the Gov ernment rushed thousands of husked coconuts to them from a disease-ridden area in Papua. Our correspondent was sceptical of the wisdom of this, pointing out that Bougainville was the land of coconuts and nroduced more than the whole of Papua combined; furthermore, that it was a disease free area and that planters there, presumably will have little redress if the Administration’s ill judged action is instrumental in intro ducing coconut diseases into that part of the Territory.