South Pacific

Commission

Survey Of What Has Been Done In 1950

Headquarters: Anse Vata Noumea, New Caledonia

THE outstanding features of South Pacific Commission activity in 1950 were the progress made in the execu tion of the Work Programme and the holding of the First South Pacific Con ference. 1950 was the Commission’s first full year of operation. Half the previous year was taken up with formalities.

By the beginning of 1950 several pro jects were under way—for example, S/2 Visual Education, S/3 Mass Literacy, S/5 Social Anthropology, S/6 Linguistic Re search, S/9 Community Development (the Moturiki pilot project conducted by the Fiji Government), H/l Epidemiological Information (conducted by the South Pacific Health Service, Suva), H/4 liaison in Filariasis Research, E/l Introduction )f Economic Plants, E/2 Cash Crops (coco nut, cocoa, rice), E/6 Development of Atolls.

During the year others were started, including S/l Technical Training, S 7 Co operatives, H/3 Tuberculosis, H/2 and H/5 Nutrition, E/3 Tropical Pastures, E/4 trading of Agricultural Produce, E/7 Fisheries.

Investigations under several projects 'cached the stage of interim or final re port, including S/l Technical Training, 3/2 Visual Aids, S/5 Social Anthropology, 3/6 Linguistic Research, S/9 Community Development, H/3 Tuberculosis, H/2 and EI/5 Nutrition and E/2 Cash Crops, Projects E/ll and E/12 (concerned with support by the Commission for certain

research under other authorities) were regarded as completed.

By the Sixth Session (October-Novem ber, 1950) the Commission had received reports on Projects S/2, S/5, S/6 and S/9

These were still under consideration in December, and it was expected that action would be taken on them at the Seventh Session (April, 1951) when the Commis sion would consider whether the reports should be published, what further studies were indicated and whether recommenda tions to Governments should be made on the basis of these reports.

Technical Training

THE report to the Commission on the important Project S/l (Vocational Training) was completed in Novem ber by Mr. Derrick, of the Fiji Education Department, the expert entrusted with this project.

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A meeting of the Commission’s experts, including educational members of the Research Council, is being planned to take place at Suva in the latter part of January, 1951, to discuss the Derrick Report and offer draft proposals to the Commission on means for improving technical and professional training in the South Pacific territories. This meeting will be attended

by the Executive Officers of the Commis sion, Mr. H. E. Maude (Social Develop ment), Dr. E. Massal (Health) and Dr.

H. G. MacMillan (Economic Development), and probably by the following direc tors of education: Mr. F. J. H. Gratton (Western Samoa), Mr. W. C. Groves (Papua-N. Guinea), Mr. H. Hayden (Fiji) and M. M. Grangie (New Caledonia).

Thus, by the Seventh Session (April, 1951) the Commission will have before it considered views and data on which its recommendations for measures by the Governments to improve and extend tech nical courses and schools may be based.

Filariasis Conference

IN connection with Project H/4, the Commission approved a recommenda tion of the South Pacific Conference for the holding of a conference of specialists in filariasis in Tahiti next year.

Dr. Emile Massal, the Executive Officer for Health, visited Tahiti in November to make preliminary arrangements.

The conference will be attended by re presentatives of administrations and scientific institutions and by individual scientists interested in this field of re search.

There are a number of specialists at present engaged on research into these diseases in American Samoa, Fiji, Tahiti and New Caledonia. In New Caledonia, the work is being carried out by Dr. J.

Kerrest, Research Assistant to Dr. Massal.

Tb Research

THE Commission’s Tuberculosis Re search Team (Project H/3) is also in Tahiti at the present time, pur suing the investigations which have taken them already this year to Papua and New Guinea, New Caledonia, Fiji and Western Samoa.

Tneir journey from Apia to Tahiti was made by schooner, Dr. Massal also having joined the ship at Suva. They hope to return to Noumea about the end of Janu ary to complete their reports.

A similar team will continue the work in other territories, and the whole en quiry into techniques for individual diag

dosis of tuberculosis should be completed oy June, 1951.

The research team will then undertake i study of epidemiological techniques and ihis phase of the work is expected to oc cupy a further eighteen months.

Nutrition

PROJECTS H/2 and H/5: Miss Sheila Malcolm has now completed her mtrition work in New Guinea and is due o return to Australia shortly. Her visit o the Trobriands was delayed by the out >reak of poliomyelitis there and during he quarantine of the islands she carried iut investigations in villages near Rabaul.

After consultation with Dr. E. H. Hips ey, Director of the Institute of Anatomy it Canberra and with Dr. Massal in loumea, Miss Malcolm will probably go text to the Solomons and the New lebrides.

Development Of Atolls

rHE Commission is about to commence an enquiry under its own auspices into the economic development of oral atolls (Project E/6). The investi ations are to be carried out in the filbert and Ellice Islands by Dr. R. L. latala, of LTnstitut Francais d’Oceanie.

Dr. and Mrs. Catala will leave Noumea y air for Suva on December 6 and, after nal preparations there, will go on to 'arawa later in the month on board the [areau.

Dr. Catala’s task will be to study the hysical environment in the islands with view to discovering ways of increasing le quantity and variety of subsistence nd commercial crops, and of improving omestic animals and fisheries.

Xtensions Of Work Programme

rHE Research Council at its Second Meeting in Sydney in August recom mended, and the Commission at its ixth Session at Noumea in October for le most part approved, modifications of ie programme of projects in the light : a year’s experience. The more impor int extensions of work, to be carried out : begun in 1951', were as follows: — Health: In addition to continued work i tuberculosis, nutrition and filariasis: rejects in opthalmology, leprosy, malaria id venereal diseases.

Economic Development: In addition to ie continuation of work on plant intro iction, pastures, grading of agricultural reduce and agricultural credits: con derably extended provision for work on te development of the resources of coral oils (E/6), improvement of subsistence ops (E/8), and the study of measures control pests and diseases of plants id animals (E/9).

A conference of Governmental experts i plant and animal quarantine in the gion, to be held early in 1951, is being ■ranged. A three year programme of ork on fisheries (E/7) was also ap oved, subject to funds being found.

Social Development: In addition to con lued work on visual education, mass oracy, linguistics, and co-operatives: the tablishment of a South Pacific Litera re Bureau at Sydney (S/ll), further immunity development projects (S/9), i experimental community centre in an hanised community in the area (prob ity Rarotonga) (S/12), and further an ropological work (S/5).

South Pacific Conference

IHE holding of the First South Pacific Conference at Suva in April-May completed a full cycle of meetings of e Commission and its auxiliary bodies, ie Conference was reported in the May id June issues of the Pacific Islands onthly.

were referred by the Commission to the Research Council and its advice was considered by the Commission at the Sixth Session (October) Some of the suggestions of the Conference were incorporated by the Research Council in new projects or extensions of current projects. Investigations arising out of others are being made by the Secretary- General and the Executive Officers bv direction of the Commission. y „ , .

The Second Conference will be held in mint *of °the r work e oTO I Rramm^ r anrf Ve nH^ > mem oi me work programme and ade-

quate preparations for the conference in the meantime, rrOTP4I Utuinukal, l? OUR major meetings were held during -T the year: the Fifth and Sixth Ses sions of the Commission at Suva and Noumea respectively, the First South Conference at Suva, and the S f C o Meeting of the Research Council addition, one meeting of the Working Committee was held at Syd ney.

Considerable progress was made in the recruitment of permanent staff. By De

:ember, 1950, total staff numbered 36, of vhom 12 were permanent appointees. The lational composition of the staff was as bllows; Australia 15, Prance 11, Nether ands 2, New Zealand 6, United Kingdom United States 1.

The buildings and equipment of the leadquarters at Anse Vata (the “Penta gon” building) were virtually completed >y the beginning of December. Six per nanent houses on Mt. Coffyn, under con itruction by the French authorities for he housing of Commission staff, are ex acted to be ready early in the new year.

Brigadier F. L. Hunt retired from the ervice of the South Pacific Commission »n November 18 at the conclusion of his 8 months’ appointment as Deputy Secre ary-General. Mr. J. Ryan, of the Com nission staff, has been appointed Acting )eputy Secretary-General. A graduate in aw of Sydney University, he has been a nember of the Secretariat since its pro isional inauguration at Mosman in May, 948, and was formerly on the staff of 3COF in Japan.

During the year informal contacts were naintained with the Specialised Agencies if the United Nations, notably WHO, JNESCO and PAO (including the Indo »acific Fisheries Council) and with a arge number of institutions such as the ’acific Science Association, the Australian National University, various Missionary pdies, LTnstitut Prancais d’Oceanie, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial lesearch Organisation, the New Zealand lepartment of Scientific and Industrial lesearch, the Institut Pasteur at Saigon, he Department of Overseas Scientific Re earch of the Ministry of Overseas France, he Laboratory of Tropical Diseases Bethesda Md. USA), the Bishop -Museum Honolulu) and the Department of mthropology (University of Sydney).

The Executive Officers made visits to everal of the territories—Dr. MacMillan Economic Development) to Fiji, Dr. Mas ai (Health) to New Guinea, Samoa, ’ahiti and Fiji, Mr. H. E. Maude (Social tevelopment) to Fiji and the Secretary leneral (Mr. W. D. Forsyth) visited Suva, autoka, Vatoukoula (Fiji), Nukualofa Tonga), Apia (Western Samoa), Pago 'ago (American Samoa), Aitutaki and arotonga (Cook Islands).