Valuable Now

The Odd Palms Are Valuable Now

I N Fiji, as in other tropical Islands, the x self-sown coconut palms—as distinct irom palms planted—belong, generally, to the native community.

For the most part, if they are of poor quality, they are not claimed by anyone.

But if the self-sown palms are good healthy trees, they may be valuable in the eyes of some native: whereupon he ties a split palm-frond in a peculiar fashion around the trunk of the tree Thereupon that tree is tabu, so far as all natives are concerned—a nasty course immediately manifests itself upon any other native who takes awav the nuts of that palm.

In normal times, a very small propor tion of self-sown palms were tabu’d in this fashion, but recent travellers in Fiji report that to-day practically every palm tree capable of producing a nut carries the danger signal—meaning that it has become the private property of some Fijian.

This, of course, is the result of the very high price of copra. The Fijian natives are making copra now, to the ex clusion of all other industries, and every coconut, no matter how insignificant or lonely, has a definite value.

The engagement has been announced of Miss Mary Baker, daughter of Mr. W.

H. Baker, Goodwood, Adelaide and the late Mrs. A. Baker, to Mr. A. T. (Fred) Holland, son of Mrs. W. Holland of East Malvern, Melbourne and the late Mr.

H. D. Holland, formerly of Rabaul.