South Pacific Commission's First

Meeting

Committee Seeking A Home in Suva or Noumea

THE first session of the South Pacific Commission commenced in Sydney on May 11 (as reported in May “PIM”) and concluded on May 21. The six nations represented were Britain, France, United States, Holland, New Zea land and Australia, The meetings were held in camera, and were devoted mostly to matters of organisation.

Mr. J. R. Kerr assumed responsibility as acting Secretary-General, pending an appointment to that important posi tion by the Commission. The six sub scribing Governments have undertaken to submit names of suitable persons, from among whom a permanent Secre tary-General will be appointed.

Mr. J. R. Halligan, Senior Commis sioner from Australia, became chairman of the conference because Australia alphabetically is first on the list. Mr.

Halligan will hold office until the next meeting of the Commission, in October and the acting Secretary-General will work in co-operation with him.

"Mr. Raymond Watt assisted Mr. Kerr in the heavy organisational work during the Conference, and he is continuing to carry some of the burden of the Secre tariat.

France, being next on the alphabetical list, will supply the chairman of the Commission as from the October Confer ence.

It is expected that arrangements will have been completed by October which will enable the Commission to— (a) Set up a permanent staff; (b) Select headquarters in either Noumea or Suva;

(c) Appoint members of the Research Committee; (d) Take other steps required in order to provide the Commission with head ?uarters and a staff, and to get it unctioning.

IN an official statement issued on May 21, the Commission said that imme diate and active attention is to be given to: — Increased food production in the South Pacific to raise nutrition standards and exports; Copra output to be speeded up by use of more machinery; Fisheries research and improvement of present inadequate supplies; More ships, to encourage output and relieve goods shortages; Improvement of health of mothers and babies; Training of islanders in technical skill; Stimulation of education by radio and film strips; Spreading modern agricultural prac tice.

These and other projects are on the programme. Action has 'already begun by the appointment of an Acting Secre tary-General. Machinery has been set in motion to obtain people with the best scientific and technical knowledge to direct the South Pacific Research Coun cil.

A Working Committee which has been set up will carry on between sessions of the Commission. Among its tasks will be the selection, at a very early date, of a Secretary-General, a Deputy Secre

tary-General, a Deputy Chairman of the Research Council and full-time research workers. Salaries will range from £Stg.l,ooo to £Stg.2,ooo per annum. The Member Governments will receive appli cations.

The six governments are sharing all costs, A working fund of £40,000 has already been established.

The Commission’s next session will be held in Sydney on October 25.

A long-term project of the Commission

is to bring Pacific Islands peoples together in meetings where, by rubbing shoulders with eqch other, they may widen their horizons, discuss common problems and, as the people most concerned, advise the Commission of the directions in which it should go.

That is the end of the official report.

The American and British (Fiji) Delegations departed in the week-end following the termination of the Commission and the others within 24 hours after that.

All that was left was a series of important decisions requiring the attention

of a secretarial staff which had still to be appointed.

Noumea Or Sydney?

A COMMITTEE of the Commission will visit both Suva and Noumea at an early date, to seek headquarters for the Commission. It will be a difficult task. Both New Caledonia and Fiji are eager to provide Commission head quarters: but there is not 10 square feet of suitable accommodation vacant in Suva, and both places suffer from

lack of suitable overseas transport faci lities.

The New Caledonian authorities will suggest, as suitable headquarters, the ex-US Army’s great Pentagon building at Anse Vata, now in the possession of the Societe Touristique et Hoteliere. This company is not anxious to let the build ing and the four hectares of ground attached thereto for a long period, but will favour its sale, should the Commis sion agree to establish itself in Noumea.