and Unhelpful , Says BSI Planter

Government Attitude Unsympathetic and Unhelpful , Says BSI Planter

Letter to the Editor

YOUR article in April PIM, “Copra Production in the Solomons”, states i that the BSI planters have agreed to accept the guaranteed price offered by the British Ministry of Food, although earlier it had appeared that the offer had been turned down.

Even now it is not clear to me how the BSI Government arrived at the con clusion that a majority of the planters favoured the acceptance of the Ministry of Food’s offer. Was it on the basis of a “Gallup” poll of all producers, native and European; or was the opinion of the large producers—that is. the Euro pean planters—regarded as the deciding factor. This has not been disclosed.

At a meeting of the European copra producers convened by the Chairman of the BSI Copra Board in October, 1948, the Chairman (Mr. Masterman) stated

that he had received many messages from producers stating that they were in favour of acceptance of the British Ministry’s offer. However, the meeting was not informed whether these messages were fully representative of the growers’ opinions. Certainly, at that meeting as well as at a previous meet ing, the viewpoint of the planters present was unanimously for rejection of the offer.

The main arguments advanced in sup port of the rejection were: • The Government was not prepared to give any guarantee that the 15 per cent, export tax on copra would not be increased. • Although the majority of the com mitments of European planters in the BSI are in Australian currency,

The BSI Government refused to consider changing the basis of the nine-year contract from sterling to Australian. • Planters were not satisfied that the price of copra at Honiara, at that time, was a reasonable one in view of higher prices being obtained on the open market in other pro ducing countries—it was believed that the BSI Government was in clined to be unduly generous to the British Ministry of Food at the expense of the BSI planter. • Absence of definite information as to how the first year’s price of £4B stg. per ton at Honiara would be allocated—i.e., what deductions would be made for freight, export tax, stabilisation fund, etc.

THE BSI planter feels himself in an invidious position as compared with copra producers elsewhere. In the Solomons he pays an export tax ’of 15 per cent., a fairly solid income tax, very high annual rentals on his leased prop erties, a higher rate of pay to natives than he would in New Guinea, and higher freights.

Although most of the estates in the BSI suffered severely during the years of war, reverting to jungle and suffering heavy damage from shell fire, etc., there has been no indication that any claims for war damage will be met by either the BSI Government or the British Govern ment, and, so far as is known, no funds have been allocated for this purpose.

The BSI planter who is tackling the task of getting the plantations back into shape, feels that he is not receiving the support from the BSI authorities to which he is entitled. The natives have no respect for authority and little de

sire to seek regular plantation employ ment.

The BSI planter feels that the copra export tax during the period of rehabili tation is unjust, and also that lease rents could, in fairness, be greatly re duced or even waived until such times as the areas are brought under control once more.

To my mind, the refusal of the as sembled planters at the meetings held in Honiara last year to ratify the nine year Ministry of Food’s offer, was not so much due to hostility of the offer in it self, but more in the nature of a pro test against the unsympathetic and un helpful nature of the treatment they have received from the BSI Government over the past two or three years

I am, etc.,

Bsi Planter.

Sydney, May 6, 1949.