Bsi Rehabilitation Falls Short

Of Expectations

WPHC Report Tells of Post-War Difficulties

From Our Own Correspondent

SUVA. August 30.

THE Western Pacific High Commission issued a detailed review of post-war developments in the British Solomon Islands Protectorate, in August. The re view is complete and, considering the fact that the WPHC is usually shy of making its activities public, very candid.

There is, it admits, a grain of truth in some of the criticism that has been levelled at the BSI Administration: and it concedes that achievement has fallen far short of what was hoped for, at the end of the war.

The following are the main points in the statement: When the administration returned after six years of war it found chaos. There was little evidence of the former British administration, and the task of the re turning administration was not lessened by the fact that areas of the country were (and still are) in United States occupation.

The first problem was to service the Protectorate: to bring in and to distribute supplies which were essential for rehabil itation. A small ship was purchased to ply between Honiara and Suva and a Government trade-scheme was established locally to procure and distribute the food stuffs and trade goods which the Pro tectorate needed. This organisation, con

siderably expanded, will tide the Pro tectorate over until the return of com mercial interests, but it has its dis advantages and is regarded only as an

expedient. For example, early this year the Government vessel broke down and it was necessary to make expensive tem porary arrangements for supplying the Protectorate.

No actual shortage of essential food re sulted, but the variety available to Euro peans was restricted and they were obliged in some measure to live off the country.

THE problem of restoring adequate shipping communications is serious and could be solved only by the re turn of commercial shipping.

In this connection a vicious circle had to be broken: ships would not come unless there was produce for them to

take away; produce was not forthcoming without incentive goods; and incentive goods had to be brought in ships.

Now, however, the Administration has made arrangements for a proportion of its copra to be sold in Australia, thus providing a backload for shipping coming in with supplies. One ship ping company had recently placed a vessel experimentally on the Sydney- Honiara run, and it is hoped that others will follow.

To restore the administrative machinery, the Government re-established and re built its outstations and collected a fleet of small craft for local transport. It built a well-equipped temporary central hos pital at Honiara, with rural hospitals at San Cristoval, the Western Solomons and Malaita, and established a District Dresser service. It set up an agricultural department and a rice farm, established

an educational department and arranged for a forest-survey.

Last year all the missions operating in the territory publicly accepted the prin cipal of co-operation with the Govern ment and with one another in educational matters.

A native administration experimental school will shortly be opened in Malaita with the object of educating the more in telligent boys, particularly those, selected by the native administrations, to a higher standard than the missions can at present attempt.

The Protectorate’s Ten-Year Plan, parts of which are already in operation and which will cost nearly £1,500,000 to carry out, makes provision for administrative re construction and development, improved transport and communications, increased medical and health services, and new de velopments in agriculture, education and forestry.

One of the largest plantation-owning companies will establish model villages on its plantations and the Government will endeavour to settle labour, on a family basis, in the villages.

It is hoped in the near future to estab lish on the Guadalcanal plain a 1,000acre farm to grow rice, groundnuts and mixed food crops.

TO encourage plantation-owners to re turn, interest-free loans were offered.

The response was not good—“but plantation-owners may be forgiven for boggling at the immense task of restor ing derelict plantations in the face of considerable labour difficulties and the unprocurability of essential supplies. Some did return, however.

“Other plantations were worked by natives on a contract basis and all pos sible encouragement and incentive was given to native producers. The result is that copra production, which was 115

tons per month a year ago, has how reached the level of 467 tons a month.

This is still a good deal below the pre war figure of 21,000 tons a year, but it is not bad.”

Of last year’s Marching Rule disturb ances the statement says: “The people, unsettled and disturbed by their war ex periences and dazzled by the sight of such lavish expenditure of men and materials for war purposes, fell an easy prey to agitators who promised them a post-war Utopia if they would boycott the British Government and set up one of their own. They have learnt their lessons now, but much valuable time and energy was lost in the process. . .

“It is idle to pretend that the Pro tectorate Government did not hope to go faster and further than it has; but it would be unjust to give no credit to a hard-worked administration for the dif ficulties that it has overcome and the plans that it has laid for the future.”