Government Wholesale Society

Thrives in G. & E. Colony

riIHE success of the Gilbert and Ellice JL Colony Wholesale Society at Tarawa (which succeeded the Government Trade Scheme that came into operation after the war when the big commercial trading concerns did not re-establish themselves in the Group) is reflected in the present healthy state of its finances.

At present there is a useful accumulated profit; a sum of £20,000 has been invested in Australian securities; and the whole of the original capital loan from the UK Government (£84,250) was repaid last year. Assets are substantial —total stocks on hand at Tarawa and branches early this year were valued at around £75,000. and the Society owns and operates two motor-vessels.

The manager of the CWS, Mr. Hartley Palmer, is now in Australia on long leave with his wife and two children, Delma and Milton. Like his predecessor (Mr.

J. B. Protheroe, of Tonga), he is on loan to the Society from Morris Hedstrom Ltd., Fiii. Previously, he was MH mana ger at Levuka.

Next year, said Mr. Palmer, it is pro posed to incorporate the present CWS body. It will be known as the Co-opera

tive Wholesale Society, in which the numerous Native Co-operative Societie! now flourishing in the Colony will be given the opportunity of becoming share holders on a privileged basis. At the moment, the Colony Wholesale Society handles the export of G. & E. copra te the UK Ministry of Food, and, in return provides the merchandise which the in dividual Native Co-operative Societie; retail in their village trade-stores.

THE present CWS set-up suffers througl lack of a direct shipping connectioi between Australia and Tarawa through Fiji. It has been pointed out or a number of occasions, that if the Brit ish Colonial Office would allow G. & E copra to be exported to USA (and earr dollars) one of the Pacific shipping comp anies would be glad to provide direc service to lift copra for the Americai Pacific coast.

From the copra price, equivalent to £6i Australian per ton under the curren long-term contract with the British Gov ernment, an amount of £8 per ton i reserved to augment the Colony Societie Development and Copra Welfare Fund It is in the nature of a stabilisation fund its object being to assist the developmen of the native co-operative scheme gener ally, as well as to provide a bulwarl against possible adverse prices for copri in the future.

The administration of the Colon; Wholesale Society is under the directio] of six European men and women (all o whom are Australians, except Mr. Palme who was bom in Fiji) and eight part Europeans with native staffs.

New Ketch From Fiji.

IN a Colony that comprises 40 sma] coral islands, scattered over an area c a million square miles, ships play major part in commerce. The Societ uses its own motor-vessels, Tungaru an Tuvalu, as well as the official Governmen vessels, to serve all parts of its domaii An order will be placed in Fiji in Jan uary for a new 60-tons auxiliary ketd to be used by the CWS in the Ellic Group. It will be based on Funafuti.

It is anticipated that the services pro vided bv this vessel, among the Ellic Islands, will encourage the natives to in crease copra production in the souther: half of the Colony.

Both the Colony Wholesale Society an the Native Co-operative Societies scheme are under the aegis of the Resident Com missioner, Mr. W. J. Peel, who takes personal interest in their progress. Sine his arrival in Tarawa in 1948, Mr. Pee has created a very favourable impressio throughout the Colony by his handlin of co-operative affairs and administratioi generally.

Mr. Palmer and, his family reache Sydney by the Aorangi in late Septembe: after having travelled from Tarawa ti Fiji in the Tungaru and then by air ti NZ. They will leave Australia by th Wanganella for Auckland, NZ, on Nov ember 2 and make their way back ti the G. & E. Group via Fiji, about th end of January.

Mr. C. W. (“Chips”) Mansell, Sout) Sea Islands representative for the Syc ney flour-millers, Mungo Scott Pty., Ltc: returned to Australia early in Octobe after a flying visit to Papua-New Guine and the British Solomon Islands. He leav( again by Qantas flying-boat on Octobe 25 for Fiji, Tonga and Western Samoa.