Copra In Ceylon

IN his speech opening the Coconut Con ference, held at Colombo, Mr. D. S.

Senanayake, Minister of Agriculture and Lands, said that coconut products were at present fetching comparatively high prices, owing to the world shortage of fats and oils, but there had been an alarming decline in the volume of pro duction in Ceylon. Exports of coconut products which in 1944 totalled, in terms of copra over 176,000 tons, fell in 1946 to only 97,000 tons, and the figure for 1947 was likely to be even lower The decline was mainly due to years of neglect ot cultivation, manuring and replanting The producer could hardly be blamed for this, because the prices prevailing since the last depression left him no margin —Colonial Review. e Meli Tukai, Fijian Missionary in North returned to Fiji with his wife r l n . n September. He has been m North Australia for 10 years and his furlough was long overdue.