Fiji Copra Control
pp. 24-25 · Read in the full issue
Extraordinary Powers of the Board
AS reported elsewhere, a stir has been caused in Fiji by the Government’s plan to set up a Copra Board, which is to control the sale and exnort of copra generally. ‘ p We have received the following letter on the sub J ect fr om Major Willoughby Tottenham, of Suva, who is a well-known planter, and a member of the Copra Board;— The composition of the Coora Board as published in Fiii Gazette No. 35 of July 23, must surely have disappointed copra producers, particularly paragraph 2 which gives the personnel of the Com mittee of Management. It is noted that none of the appointees named has any experience of plantation management or its finance.
Further, although the Board managed by that Committee will be an outright trading concern, handling some two million pounds’ worth of the planters’ commodity each vear, the producers need not necessarily be given anv information about the Board’s negotiations with the purchaser (the British Ministry of Food), or how the price accepted will comoare with world prices, and what freight handling, administrative charges, etc., are to cost.
In short, the Board may be as profli gate and inefficient as it likes, and yet cannot be called upon to give an account of its stewardship. For, although Section 12 of the Bill makes provision for the keeping of accounts and their auditing, the Governor-in-Council need only pub lish such details of those accounts “as he may deem fit.”
In effect, there has been set up a trad ing concern with an annual turnover of two million pounds, the directors of which are under no obligation to publish a de tailed annual balance-sheet unless they deem fit, and who are empowered to dis pose of private individuals’ assets to (if they deem fit) favoured customers on terms which could compare unfavourably with world prices.
Under the Bill the Board agrees to purchase at a price “as nearly as possible equivalent to that received.” So that, if it makes a bad bargain (it has been done between Governments —remember the re cent sale of Australian wheat to New Zealand for a long term at 5/9 a bushel) and out of the goodness of its heart sells your copra at £lO per ton, it need return you only, say, £9/10/-. This, admittedly, is an extreme and unlikelv contingency, but there is nothing in the Bill, and nothing the producer can do, to prevent such a generous gesture.
You could not even upset a Board which made so unprofitable a deal—nor could I, even though I happen to be a member of the Board. For. as now con stituted, the experts (the four copra pro ducers) can alwavs be dominated and over-ruled on any issue by laymen. Note that the Bill stipulates (Section 2, Estab lishment) that the Board shall consist . , . . “of not less than six other members appointed by the Governor, of whom four shall be copra producers.” Plainly, then, since the number of nroducers’ repre sentatives is fixed and the number of other members is a variable, the copra producers can never be in a majority; nor even be assured, under that phrasing, of eouita,bl° representation. Surelv. the section should read. . . . “six other mem bers appointed by the Governor of whom not less than four shall be coora pro ducers.” The transposition of the words “not less” would prevent any possibility of the Board being packed at any time.
Better still, the Bill could establish a compact and adequate Board with some what the following wording.
“The Board shall consist of: — (a) A chairman appointed by the Governor. (b) Four planter members nominated by the copra producers and ap pointed by the Governor. (c) Two members nominated by the Secretary for Fijian Affairs and appointed by the Governor,”
With these simple safeguards there can be no quarrel with the Bill as it stands.
If Government guarantees the price it must obviously have the right to control every aspect of the copra trade from the export shed onwards. If it delegates its powers, as it will do, to a Board then that competent authority—if it be competent —must be assured of the goodwill and whole hearted co-operation of all sections of the Colony’s copra industry.