Future Of Solomon And Gilbert

Islands

Suggestion That Western Pacific High Commission Should Be Terminated

THE British High Commission for the Western Pacific has been under some criticism lately. Residents of the territories concerned seem to think that, through this delegated authority of the British Colonial Office, they are getting a raw deal. The WPHC is responsible for: — • The government of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony, where there now are 33,000 good-class natives, capable of a considerable measure of self-government, and a mere sprink ling of European traders. • The government of the British Solomon Islands, where there are less than 100,000 somewhat primitive Melan esians, not yet capable of governing themselves, a very few European coco nut planters and traders, and a handful of Chinese traders. • The maintenance of the British side of the Condominium Government of the New Hebrides, where there are 40,000 somewhat primitive Melanesians, not capable of governing themselves, about 200 British and 700 French planters and traders, and a few hundred Ton kinese labourers. • The maintenance of a British Consul and Agent as an adviser in the king dom of Tonga, where there are 28,000 native Tongans, who govern themselves.

It is not a very formidable responsi bility, and the British officials —mainly Colonial Office men—do their very best with it; but everyone concerned is han dicapped because, in an economic sense, these are very poor territories, and the British Exchequer simply has no money to spare for their better administration.

Except for the New Hebrides, which produces some cocoa and coffee, the economy of the four Groups named is tied up completely with the coconut. A rather ferocious export tax on copra and a most unjustifiable income tax ensures to the G and E Colony and the Solomons some revenue from the present good market for copra; but, generally, all the administrations concerned are so poor that their official personnel seem to suf fer permanently from a sense of frustra tion and hopelessness.

The troubles of the WPHC are due generally to the war. Owing to her post war difficulties, Britain now has no funds to spare for territories like these, which, for her, have no economic value. The two most northerly territories, G and E Colony and Solomons, were invaded by Japanese, and severely battered during the war; and there has been no war damage compensa tion fund, such as the Australian Pacific territories enjoyed, to aid in their re habilitation. In New Guinea (Austra lian) there is neither copra export tax nor income tax; in G and E and Solo mons there are both.

The High Commissioner for the Wes tern Pacific is always the Governor of Fiji; and the WPHC territories do not like the arrangement because, they say, the Governorship of Fiji now is a full time job, and they therefore suffer under the delegation of authority to minor officials. But the real trouble is that no one apparently wants the string of atolls that is the G and E Colony, and the eight huge mountainous islands of the Solo mons, for purposes of colonisation and economic development. They remain the Cinderellas of the South Pacific.

EXPERIENCED observers are saying, quite brutally and frankly, that the British High Commission of the Western Pacific should be wiped out—it long has exceeded its usefulness. They suggest that it would be better for every one concerned if —

British Solomon Islands were given into the care of Australia.

Gilbert and Ellice Colony were added to the Trust Territory of Micronesia (Marshall and Caroline Islands) for which United States is responsible.

The Condominium of the New Hebrides were either wiped out, as a useless and expensive anachronism, or else the British side of the administra tion were transferred to Australia.

The connection between the British Colonial Office and Tonga were made through the Governor of Fiji.

While there may be no economic future for the long string of coral atolls

which constitute the Gilbert and Ellice Colony, it does seem possible that some thing worthwhile could be done with the Solomon Islands. They represent a very considerable land area; they have high mountains, numerous cool plateaux, and an endless variety of coastal plains—in fact, they are in almost every way com parable with the large, mountainous islands of New Guinea and the Bismarck Archipelago, which now comprise the Aus tralian Territory of Papua-New Guinea.

As the problems of administration, de velopment, communication, native wel fare, health, education, are similar in New Guinea and the Solomons, and as Australian conditions already dominate the slender economy of the Solomons, there seem to be some good reasons why the Solomons should be transferred to the Australian Department of External Territories. There may be a goldfield in the Solomons —and that would give the Group an alternative to copra.

An official of the British Colonial Office, having in 1949 visited the Solomons and seen the more or less hopeless condi tions under which the administration officials were struggling there, expressed the forthright opinion that the Solomons should be transferred to Australia. Then he visited the Territory of Papua-New Guinea, and briefly examined the condi tions there under Ward-ism; and he hastily corrected his former summary. “I cannot see that the Solomons have any thing to gain from Australian administra tion” he said.

However, the New Guinea outlook has changed a lot since December 10.

Much the same might be said in regard to the British section of the New Heb rides. This archipelago—especially some of the southern islands —is capable of de velopment and economic progress; but

most of the initiative and drive, so far, has come from the French. Australia, however, has substantial land rights in the Group—the gift of the late Sir James Burns. The future of the Solomons and the New Hebrides should be considered together.

The importance to the future defence of Australia of that arc of islands that stretches around the north-eastern part of the continent, from Timor, through New Guinea, New Britain and Bougain ville, to the Solomons and New Hebrides, was demonstrated, beyond all argument and doubt, in the Pacific War, in 1942 and 1943.

G. and E. Colony To America?

THE suggestion that the long chain of coral reefs and sand banks which constitute the Gilbert and Ellice Colony should be attached to the large group of atolls that constitute the Trus tee Territory of the Marshalls, and

handed over to United States administra tion, has something to commend it.

The G and E Colony has about the same present and potential economic value as have the Carolines and Mar shalls. Beyond the coconut, these equatorial islands are of no value, except as the home of an attractive and virile islands race.

The United States, having the re sources, has spent and is spending a large amount on the welfare of the peoples of the Mariana, Marshall and Caroline islands (taken over from the Japanese as a result of the war); and it would re quire very little more effort and money if the American organisation were ex tended over the nearby Gilbert and El lice chains.

The Gilbertese are steadily increasing in numbers. Just before the war, the British transferred some thousands of them to the unpopulated atolls of the Phoenix Islands (now part of the Gil bert and Ellice Colony); and it is re ported that plans now are afoot to trans

fer another lot of Gilbertese from the rather dry atolls of the Southern Gil berts to Christmas Island. Christmas is a very large and apparently fertile atoll far to the eastward, where there are no indigenous people.

It does appear that all these equatorial atolls, eastwards of the Solomons and northwards of the Fiji-Samoa-Cooks line, could be put in with the Caroline and Marshall islands, as one administration, with advantage to everyone concerned.