South Pacific

Commission

Substantial Progress In One Year

Organisation Based on Noumea

IN the twelve months since the Commis sion inaugurated its permanent organisation and chose Noumea as its permanent seat, important progress has been made.

The Research Council held its first meeting in May, 1949, and laid the ground-plan of the work programme in its 28 Projects.

The Commission adopted these pro jects, authorised immediate expenditure for 1949 and, at the recent session, made budgetary provision for carrying them on in 1950.

The Secretariat was transferred in March from the temporary headquarters at Mosman, NSW, and established at the Pentagon Building at Anse Vata, Noumea.

The Commission has now decided that the Pentagon Building will serve as per manent headquarters and has agreed on the main lines of a financial agreement with the French authorities in respect of the expenses of reconstructing the building.

The French authorities have drawn un a plan for the permanent housing of members of the Commission staff.

All six of the Principal Officers (the Secretary-General, the Deputy Chairman of the Research Council, the Deputy-

Headquarters: Anse Vata Noumea, New Caledonia

Secretary-General and the Members of the Research Council for Health, Econo mic Development and Social Development) have been appointed since November 1, 1948, and appointments have been made to some of the senior posts in the Secre tariat —other posts so far being held on a temporary basis.

The international character of the staff has been preserved. Those so far ap pointed for one year or longer comprise three Australians, three Frenchmen, three Netherlanders, one New Zealander, one Englishman and one American.

The clerical and typing staff is drawn mainly from Australia, New Caledonia and New Zealand, The phase in which organisation neces sarily occupied the main attention is pass ing; many of the Projects have been launched; and arrangements for putting the others into operation are in hand.

The adoption of the first budget for a full operational year (the 1950 Budget considered at the recent Session) will be a landmark, and the holding of the first South Pacific Conference at Nasinu, Fiji, in April next, will complete a full cycle of the meetings of the Commission and its auxiliary bodies.

Introduction of New Plants

TWO of the Commission’s economic de velopment projects will be carried out in New Caledonia.

Arrangements have been in hand for some time to develop gardens for the in troduction of economic plants and the

study of these plants, in order to find varieties suitable for cultivation in South Pacific Islands (Project E/l).

A suitable tract of land in the Port La Guerre area has been selected, on which the New Caledonia Government proposes to establish a farm school, a model farm and a reafforestation project. Introduction gardens will form part of this work, and the ways in which the Commission and its research officers will assist have been agreed upon.

Similar work will be carried out at Nanduruloulou in Pitt under the same Project, An area suitable for the pilot-land-usesurvey, provided for in Pro.iect E/4, has New b Ca?edonto 6n in" the 6 „, e „'' Thesnrvev will he made bv j°S

“expSTK! M 153

surveyor) selected by the Commission.

Council D Tr ty ßaa^c a king exp£tT?S

Istms

convinced The

fortw? <S™ev Chairman of the The findings will be imnortant in con-

nection with afforestatSn^Mature dl

ve'oSment and a hy“S re“ 6 d6 ‘ Final details and formal arrangement*

between the cISSnSSi and thl nTw

Caledonia administration are now being wlrked out b c A ji r nVQ i ooii on lorai isianus MEANWHILE, the deputy chairman has Uf a ?vL SOme inter ® stin .f investigations i O -ei t IS pl £ c . ess °? on coral islands; this work has been done on the Isle aux Canards, off Anse Vata Bay, near Noumea.

One result, so far, has been the isolation of representatives of anew group of nitrogen-fixing bacteria which may be of great importance in the formation of soil from coral sand.

Initial steps have been taken for the preparation of a handbook of weeds of the South Pacific area.

Field work as a preliminary to experiments designed to establish methods for controlling the Guave has been begun by the Deputy Chairman and Dr. Me- Daniels; the Institut Francais d’Oceanie is being consulted also.

Tiikurnilnsi'B War on I ÜberculOSlS for the Commission’s I tuberculosis team to start work in been

toeffiflk Mw l

Sin of the French Coloni?! Medical nfcian radi ° BraPher Project 1 H/3°win e b e ea to dj*f ferent antigens and methods used in tuberculin tests in various racial and age S roups in the South Pacific area * and to compare the radiographic appearances in tne World Health Organisation classification of Tuberculosis, and to examine the possibility of producing simple techniques in radiography suitable under field ?onditions.”

The team will move on to other territories after it has made its investigations in New Guinea.

Plans for Better Food

HTHE Member for Health is seeking a 1 nutritionist to make studies of dietary requirements of indigenous

peoples of the South Pacific and also to work out suitable menus and demonstrate methods of preparation of foods Tbi* wnrk . fpvnipct* tt 9 „ r4 ii begS in the Melanesian aria needs are most urgent nrnhahiv in Jhp Mew Hebrides and y n tn ew ±leDrmes ana Solomons, NAfnMo Fvnorimonf in noiaoie experiment in FIJI rpHE Research Council Member for I Social Develonment Mr H f Mande has given considerable HrrTe and Xught in g rec?n“ weeks to the pioneer experiment in Community De velopment on Moturiki islet in Fiji This is the subject of an article on Pages 61 and 62, where the plan is ex-

P Cussed ’

Pacific-Wide Interest

The progress of this experimental at

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offers a possible solution to some of their own problems. Whether it succeeds or &, ll6> how l ever - will depend primarily on the people of Moturiki themselves, on SSSMShe" ‘ W ° rk Wffl cessarny aevoive.

Mr. Maude has pointed out that a unique opportunity for achieving a measure of social and economic develoo ment is being offered to them: one can but hope that, with wise leadership, they will take full advantage of it. --- France has warmly thanked the Austra lian Government for its friendly gesture i n cancelling the debt of £7OO 000 for arm- Sg and French Pacific fl^s during World War 11.