Commission

South Pacific

Important Conference In Suva

Headquarters: Anse Vata Noumea, New Caledonia

THE South Pacific Conference will open at Suva on or about April 25.

Representatives, mostly indigenous, will attend from Netherlands New Guinea; Australian Papua and New Guinea; British Solomon Islands* Protector ate; New Caledonia: Condomonium of New Hebrides; Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony; Fiji; Western and Eastern Samoa; Cook Islands: Tonga; French Establishment in Oceania.

Sir Brian Freeston, Governor of Fiji and the Senior Commissioner for the United Kingdom on the South Pacific Commission, will be the chairman of the Conference, and the Secretary-General of the Commission, Mr. W. D. Forsyth, will be responsible for administrative ar rangements.

The permanent members of the Re search Council of the Commission—Dr.

L. G. M. Baas-Becking, deputy-chairman of the Research Council, Dr. H. C. Mac- Millan, member for Economic Develop ment, Dr. E. Massal, member for Health and Mr. H. E. Maude, member for Social Development—will be present.

Admission of observers has been sought by the World Health Organisation, mis

sionary bodies active in the Pacific Islands and the Pacific Science Board of the American National Research Council.

The names of members of delegations so far as was known early in March are as follows: Tonga Delegates: HRH Tungi (Premier), HRH Tu’ipelehake (Governor of Vava’u) Ad viser: Mr. P. A. Richardson, MA (Secre tary to Government).

Western Samoa Delegates: The Hon. Tamasese, The Hon. Malietoa, Members of the Council of State. Alternate: The Hon. Tua lavlelei. Delegates: Member of the Legis lative Assembly, Faipule Anapu, Chair man of the Fono of Faipule. Interpreter- Kalapu.

American Samoa Delegates; High Chief Tuitele and High Chief Tufele. Advisers: High Talk ing Chief Tulasosopo, Lt. Edward V. P.

Horne, USN.

Introductory papers for circulation be fore the Conference are being prepared by the government and territories as fol lows: Mosquito Control; Improvement and Diversification of Food and Ex port crops.—Australia.

Fisheries Methods.—France.

Vocational Training.—Netherlands.

The Village School.—New Zealand.

Co-operative Societies.—U nit e d Kingdom.

Ihe Healthy Village.—United States.

The Conference will discuss the work ot the Commission and the needs of the area in these fields.

The Agreement of 1947 establishing the Commission laid down that the Con ference should have advisory powers and be an auxiliary body of the Commission and that “it may discuss such matters of common interest as fall within the com petence of the Commission, and may make recommendations to the Commis sion on any such matters.” It is to meet at intervals not exceeding three years.

Programme Of Works

THE work is being carried on along the lines described in some detail in the February issue of PIM. Pre parations for putting other projects into operation in the early future are in hand.

Economic Development

PRELIMINARY work on the Introduc tion Gardens at Port Laguerre, New Caledonia, is under way under the authority of the French authorities, and with the assistance of the Commission.

The New Caledonia Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary services are mainly con cerned. A farm school is being prepared at the same site. About two acres of nurseries have been begun and about 8 hectares ploughed for the sowing of temporary leguminous cover. A herb arium for the study of grasses and weeds has been established.

On his return trip to the USA, Pro fessor McDaniels, of Cornell University, who recently visited the South Pacific

on a collecting trip and spent some time in New Caledonia, stopped over for a few days at Canton Island in order, on the invitation of the Deputy Chairman of the Research Council, to study vegeta tion and soils—a piece of work which will prove useful in connection with the pro ject for improvement of living conditions on coral islands.

The Member for Economic Develop ment, Dr. McMillan visited Australia early in March for consultations with of

ficers of Australian Departments and scientific agencies directly concerned in the Commission’s programme of work in the agricultural and economic fields. It is expected that, with the Deputy Chair man, Dr. McMillan will also attend the meeting of the Indo-Pacific Fisheries Council, to be held in Sydney in April.

War On Tb

THE member for health on the SPC Research Council, Dr. Massal, spent some weeks in New Guinea, from early February, settling in the tubercu losis team in co-operation with the Health authorities of the territory. Dr.

Guillermin, the leader of the team, ar rived from France in February and ar rived in New Guinea at the beginning of March to carry on the project (initi allv, the establishment of methods for detection of the disease in island peoples).

Meanwhile, Dr. Kerrest, research as • sistant to the Member for Health has been carrying out investigations in New Caledonia' concerning filariasis and leprosy.

The Melbourne Herald, on February 20, reported that Professor of Bacteriology at Melbourne University (Professor Rubbo' had left by air to become ad viser on bacteriology to the Commission.

Australia, he said, was contributing its share of technical knowledge to the Com mission to improve the standards of liv ing in the Pacific Islands. The Bac teriology Department of the Melbourne University was giving important help.

Miss B. Balfour, a science graduate of the Bacteriology Department, has been appointed bacteriologist to the Commis sion.

Organisation

THE Secretary-General, Mr. W. D.

Forsyth, returned to headquarters in Noumea on March 1, after a four weeks’ visit to Australia and New Zea

land, where he conferred with the Senior Commissioners for New Zealand (Mr. C.

G. R. Mackay and Colonel F, Voelker) Australia (Mr. J. R. Halligan) and The Netherlands (Mr. J. B. D. Pennink, Netherlands Minister at Wellington, NZ).

Departmental officers in both countries directly associated with the work of the Commission discussed various aspects of the work programme, the South Pacific Conference, the possibilities of Techni cal Assistance for the region, and ad ministrative and financial matters.

The Secretary-General was granted an interview by the Australian Minister for External Affairs and External Territories, Mr. P. C. Spender, and also had oppor tunity for talks with Colonel J. K.

Murray (Administrator of Papua and New Guinea) and Mr. R. Powles, Ad ministrator of Western Samoa) as well as heads of Australian and New Zealand Departments concerned with the Com mission.

Finance

UP to the first week of March the annual Administrative Budget for 1950 had been approved by New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Aus tralia. One approval from among the three other member governments “suf ficient to confirm the Budget as adopted and referendum at the fourth session of the Commission at Noumea in October last.” Meanwhile the activities of the Commission are provided for on the basis of the 1949 Budget.