Fijians Ask For More

Savings Banks

SUVA, Sept. 19.

BEQA, an island famous for its fire walking natives and successful co operative enterprises of its all-Fijian nhabitants, has ended another legend— his time that all prosperous Fijians get id of their money as soon as they receive t.

A young man of Beqa, I. C. Nakaiwalu, ias been looking into the savings bank [uestion and has come up with a sharp irod for the Government. He points out hat as soon as the limited number of copra-planters (who produce learly two-thirds of Fiji’s copra) became rosperous, private enterprise in various orms descended on them from all direc ions, but the Government slipped up and ailed to provide savings bank facilities, "he result was inevitable. (As an illus ration of this point there is the fact that t the beginning of 1948 a tiny centre in r anua Levu had no Indian tailor. At the nd of the year it possessed six—all lourishing or they wouldn’t be there.) Nakaiwalu quotes the example of Gau, rhere a Government savings bank has een started by the head teacher of a 'ijian school with encouraging results, [e adds: “Most of the Fijians have been iven unlimited opportunities for wasting loney, but none whatever for saving it.”

Cuthbert’s Misima Goldmine Ltd. re orts that in the period from August 23 o September 22, the mill at Misima Eastern Papua) ran for 15 days, and esults were: Ore crushed, 420 tons; bul on produced, 540 ounces; gold contents, 2 ounces; silver contents, 115 ounces.