Solomons

"Brave New World" In Solomons Did Planter and Trader is Bitterly Sarcastic

By R. C. Laycock

(From a letter to a friend in Suva, who had expressed curiosity concerning con ditions in the British Solomon Islands.)

Ysabel, Dec. 28.

ICAN only say that ’‘Nationalisation of Industry” has produced all that could reasonably be expected—a complete state of muddle!

The old adage about the “silk purse and sow’s ear” applies with striking force.

But it is hardly fair to put the blame on local personnel, which is largely “Rubber-Stamp.”

It is said that in a Democracy a country gets the Government it deserves! Under “dictatorship”—God have mercy on you!

If the fools who are really to blame only had the mentality to see the harm they are doing to everyone concerned —including, of course, the unfortunates so keenly in need of our products, not alone as food, but as a medium of employment in the manufacture of goods to send us in payment—then, and only then, would there be hope of getting on to the road back.

They led off here with the institution of “Native Councils” and so displayed profound ignorance as to whether the native is “advanced” sufficiently for such a move.

This, naturally, threw him, collectively, into a mental maze which was really the fore-runner of what became known as “marching rule” (mainly) or “Mercy Marsina,” “Marxian” or several other fantastic names, according to the fancy

of the person who thought he heard it correctly.

Magsters lost no time in elevating them selves to leadership—just as they are do ing the world over, which somewhat ex plains the whole chaotic state of affairs.

The unfortunate native did not under stand head or tail of the stupid business; but, with his natural bent for admiration of authority—so woefully lacking in our Government—he was all too ready to follow blindly the dictates of the “maggle traps.” Said one of the dupes to me “Gub men (Government) he allesame! (putting his hand on the ground). But ‘Brown’ (local leader of MR) he big fellow master allesame:” With this he reached towards high Heaven to illustrate the difference.

WHAT is all this crazy chatter about “uplifting” the native actually doing for him?

There can be no shadow of doubt that, collectively, he is poorer in character than he was forty years ago. “Blind Freddie” could see that the more we “teach” him the more he despises yet envies us. No!

We are merely robbing him of his own simple ideas of happiness, and replacing it with —what?

What do these muddled wand-wavers hope to accomplish? Even if we concede that they themselves might think they know, can anyone—outside a straight jacket—agree that they are within their rights in mucking away hundreds of thousands of pounds of British tax payers’ money, chasing “furphies” in days such as we are passing through?

AS for the new “Capital” at Honiara (now being spoken of as “Holy Horror” or “Helofanerror”) —this is destined to be a loadstone round the neck of the Group for all time.

The Yankee roads, bridges, wharves, and junk of which it was born, have been

claimed by jungle and rot, and only colossal expenditure, far above the pos sible economy of the Group, can replace them.

The whole sorry business suggests that we are starting to build our castle from the roof down, when our finance is more in keeping with a bark hut.

There is some confusion as to which “Five-years Plan” we are now working under! Several have been scrapped, and it looks as though several more will follow before we reach bed-rock.

C’IOST of shipping tots up to an amazing J sum, compared with pre-war, but it is exceedingly doubtful if it does as much work for the money. There seems to be a queue of ships going to Fiji for re pairs. That these new vessels, built re gardless, as it were, should fade out so soon after arrival, rather suggests laxity in one direction or another.

Carpenters, naturally, turned-m the handling of copra. The astonishing thing is that they ever took it on. with no chance whatever of showing a profit under “nationalisation.”

It is little short of a certainty that, had the big companies been encouraged to come back and operate on the open market, all hands and the cook’s off sider, not to mention the Government it self, would have been a great deal better off. . , If producers had to pay their pound of flesh under the pre-war system, they now have the uncomfortable feelmg that about 2 lbs. are being extracted, as things are to-day.

Doubtless, the very heavy export tax on copra would be even higher under open market conditions; but the producer would not cavil at that, since it would mean shipping facilities now denied him. to say nothing of a hundred and one other benefits. By the higher export tax, I

mean, of course, that production would be stepped up, and a few more starving mouths in Europe would be fed, DO these Brave New World fanatics ever think on these lines and realise that they are standing in the light of production so urgently required? Obvi ously, they do not know and do not want to be told. Like the Colonel, in Tom Hanley’s show.

When Tom asked him what he was taking for a very red nose, he replied, “Whisky, sir.” On Tom’s remarking that he knew something far better, he re plied: “Then don’t tell me. sir. I don’t want to know!”

As was inevitable under such a set-up, the big companies could not see then way to show profit, and so refused the stupid invitation to take over the “Trade Scheme” under a set of conditions that the blindest optimist would shy at.

We now learn that the Government in tends launching out as a common or garden trader—that awful word, which down the years has heaped condemnation and disdain upon all who dabbled in it, and implied a thief and a rogue, and the depths of degradation.

A small but very expensive vessel has arrived to carry an impossible burden.

But, of course, there will be a fleet of them—to take their places in the queue for repairs, and help hoist “overhead” to the skies.

All this to “uplift” the poor native and give him “service” he doesn’t actually need, more especially when he finds it is cost ing him more than it used to under de spised individualism. It goes without say ing that it is going to be a case of “poor old British tax-payer.”

The largest planting company started dabbling in trading and made a most suc cessful failure of it. Then a smaller planting show was equally “successful”;

and both dropped it like a hot spud when they realised that their particular job was planting. The big trading companies never made a brass razoo out of planting. But then, nobody did in the Solomons, though this was mostly due to fact of the market being in the hands of the vulture.

The moral of all this is that the Gov ernment’s job is “governing,” and the best ends of all concerned would be served if it pulled up its socks and started in to teach the native that it does not pay to allow thousands of tons of a much needed product to rot on the ground, what time Brave New World fanatics hatch out inanities to “uplift” him to his white brother’s vices—which is the inevitable result of tampering with funda mentals.