Commission

South Pacific

Seventh Session : Chairman Emphasises Work at Critical Point

Headquarters: Anse Vata, Noumea, New Caledonia

THE Seventh Session of the South Pacific Commission was formally opened on April 28 at a public meet ing at Commission headquarters at Noumea. Twenty-two delegates, repre senting the six member Governments, were present.

In the absence of Mr. J. R. Halligan, Senior Commissioner for Australia, (whose arrival in Noumea had been delayed until May 1) the Commissioner for Australia, Professor K. O. Shatwell, took the Chair.

Following a brief address on the Commis sion and its future, he formally declared the Session open.

“It is platitudinous to say of any in stitution that it is at a critical point in its history,” Professor Shatwell said in his opening address. “But we who meet here to-day know that this is particularly true of the South Pacific Commission. With modern advances in communications the world has shrunk. Everyone knows that peace, economic prosperity and social wel fare are indivisible, and that the shock of happenings in Asia is felt immediately in every capital city in the world.

“The foundation of the South Pacific Commission is a proof that at the end of World War II there were to be found, among the leaders of six nations, men of vision and of historic sense—men not forced to make a hurried accommodation by the necessity of events, but who rather sought by wisdom and foresight to accord their actions with the emerging pattern of history, and by common action to achieve the common good. But, as with every other ideal, the only test is the extent to which it becomes realised in the lives of ordinary men.

“Whether the verdict of history will ac claim the founders of the Commission as statesmen,” remarked the Chairman, “or dismiss them as the victims of yet an other of the numberless idle dreams which have deluded man, will depend upon the extent to which the Commission contri butes to the welfare of the Pacific peoples.

“I say that we are at a critical period in the history of the Commission, because cur machinery has been set up, and it is aeginning to work. But whether its work will achieve what its founders hoped de pends upon the continued labours of all who are now associated with it. There ire most encouraging signs—some of them are to be discerned in the matters which will be discussed at this Session—but be yond this we cannot go.

“At this juncture,” Professor Shatwell continued, “it is fitting that I should refer bo the great loss the Commission has sus tained by the resignation of its first Secretary-General, Mr. W. D. Forsyth, by whose devotion and industry the machinery has been so largely created.

It is not my intention to attempt to ap preciate his work here, but he at least is assured that he has done his part in writing an important opening chapter in the history of the Commission.

“I am sure also that I express a senti ment shared by all of you in regretting that we shall no longer profit by the ad vice and experience of Colonel F. W. voelcker, until recently the Commissioner

for New Zealand, who knew so well both the area and the work of the Commis sion.”

A report on the work programme of the Commission in the fields of health, economic development and social develop ment is before this Session. In the field of health, arrangements will be further considered for a conference on filariasis, to be held in Tahiti next August.

High Officials Among important tasks before the Commission is the appointment of a Secretary-General, to take the place of Mr. W. D. Forsyth (returning to Aus tralian Public Service); a Deputy Secre tary-General; and a Deputy-Chairman of the Research Council (position vacant since Dr. Baas Becking retired, last year).

New appointments to the staff include that of Miss Helen Shiels as Assistant to

the Executive Officer for Social Develop ment, and of Mr. A. E. Read, BSc., as Editorial and Publications Officer to the Commission. Mr. Read last year com pleted nine years in the information ser vices of the British Government in the Far East, the United Kingdom and Aus tralia. His last post was as United King dom Information Officer in Sydney.

Next SP Conference Another important item on the agenda is the selection of a date and place for the second South Pacific Conference, in 1953. The first Conference was held in Suva in May, 1950.

It was strongly urged in 1950 that the Second Conference should be held in the Highlands of Central New Guinea.

Quarterly Review of Activities

riiHE activities of the South Pacific 1 Commission during the first quarter of 1951 are reviewed in the quarterly Bulletin for April, issued by the Com mission.

Meetings included a Conference of all principal officers of the Commission, held at headquarters in January for the pur pose of co-ordination of activities, and a special social development meeting in Suva in the same month. This latter was to consider the Derrick Report on voca tional training of island peoples, and the Keesing and Elkin Reports on social anthropology.

The Quarterly Bulletin also reports on progress made in the fields of health, economic development and social develop ment during the quarter.

Nutrition

The 1951 programme for the Alimen tation and Nutrition Project (H. 2 and H. 5) has been finalised. Miss Shiela Malcolm, the Commission’s nutritionist, left Noumea in March for the New Hebrides, where she will spend 12 months investigating infant and adult diets and local foods. She was accompanied by the Research Assistant, Dr. J. Kerrest, who spent a few days in the New Hebrides with Miss Malcolm finalising arrange ments for her year’s work.

Tb Research

New members have been appointed to the tuberculosis research team (Project H. 3). The leader is Dr. George Clerc, Lt.- Colonel of the French Colonial Medical Service, who arrived from Paris in March to take up this post. Two other new appointees are an Australian, Miss Shirley Fenton, B.Sc., and an English

man, Mr. Francis Parker, who are the bacteriologist and X-ray technician, re spectively. This year the team will work in Eastern Polynesia.

Filar! As Is

Arrangements are proceeding lor the Filariasis Conference (Project H. 4) to be held in Tahiti in August. Invitations have been issued to member Governments, territorial administrations and to various medical and scientific organisations throughout the world.

On March 25 Dr. H. Beye, of the Uni versity of California, arrived in Noumea from Tahiti, where for several years he has been working on filariasis at the Medical Research Institute there. While in Noumea, Dr. Beye held consultations it Commission headquarters with Dr. E.

Massal, Executive Officer for Health, con cerning arrangements for the forthcom ng conference.

Dr. Beye also discussed problems of ilariasis research with the Research Assistant, Dr. J. Kerrest, who is working n this field in New Caledonia.

Economic Development Of

Atolls

Dr. L. R. Catala, with Madame Catala md Mr. R. R. Mason, of the Fiji De triment of Agriculture, who will carry >ut Commission Project E. 6 on the iconomic development of coral atolls in he Gilbert and Ellice Islands, sailed from ? iji on March 3 for Tarawa, after some lelay in Suva due to shipping difficulties.

Dr. Catala’s task will be to investigate vays of increasing the quantity and variety of subsistence and commercial :rops and of improving domestic animals md fisheries.

Plant and Animal Quarantine

Conference at Suva

(See also Page 74 this Issue) A N international conference of experts :x on plant and animal diseases, held under the auspices of the South ’acific Commission, was opened at Suva, m April 2, by His Excellency the Gov rnor of Fiji, Sir Brian Freeston, who is Iso Senior Commissioner for the United kingdom on the South Pacific Commis ion.

The Conference was attended by 20 lelegates from the six member Govern oents of the Commission—Australia, France, Netherlands, New Zealand, Jnited Kingdom and United States.

Mr. Fracker, United States Delegate, Iso acted as observer for the Food and Lgricultural Organisation of the United rations.

Dr. H. G. MacMillan, Executive Officer or Economic Development, who repre ented the Commission on behalf of the lecretary-General at the Conference, was lected Chairman.

The main objectives of the conference rere to work out a practical method of ssembling up-to-date information on the xistence and control of plant and animal iseases in the region, to suggest the best 'ays of investigating quickly the present ap in preventative measures, including uarantine, for the region as a whole, and o consider the development of a com lon quarantine policy for all territories f the South Pacific.

Commercial Relations

An investigation is being conducted broughout the South Pacific of credit acilities available for the development f agricultural, industrial and oommer ial enterprises, especially by indigenous copies (Project E. 10). Co-operatives iroughout the area are also being tudied.

Posts For Technical Officers

Positions were advertised during the uarter for three technical officers needed

by the Commission for research in con nection with two of its projects (E. 2 and E.B) in the field of economic development.

One is required to conduct an investi gation of the copra industry, giving special attention to technical information available on varieties,, plantation management and mechanical techniques for processing and handling. A survey is also to be made of research work already in hand in various territories.

A second technical expert will conduct a similar investigation of the cocoa, coffee and tea industries in the area.

The third specialist is needed to in vestigate the subsistence of native peoples

throughout the South Pacific with a view to improving diet and increasing food production. Field research will be carried out relating to domestic and wild food materials, food processing and methods of preservation, and to equipment and working tools.

Sir Henry Milne Scott, KC, of Suva, flew to London early in May, and plans to return, via the East and Sydney, late in June. Sir Henry recently added to his innumerable offices and responsibilities by accepting the chairmanship of the Board of Burns Philp (South Sea) Ltd., which has its headquarters in Suva.