Food Short in Honiara

Copra Piles Up

From Our Own Correspondent

Honiara, June 26.

HONIARA is going through one of its periodical lean periods as regards supplies.

There is plenty to eat, but it can hardly be regarded as a varied diet. Fresh meat is obtainable only for a few weeks after the Morinda’s arrival, or on the rare occasions when one of Lever’s cattle which have run wild at Kaukua, on the Guadalcanal coast, can be brought in.

The drought weather (only five inches of rain having fallen in May, and 70 points up to June 22) has curtailed the never over-plentiful supply of fresh vege tables.

A serious rice shortage, due to lack of incoming overseas ships and consequent inadequate shipping space, has necessi tated priority for rice over other cargo.

Some employers have had to discharge labour for want of rice to feed them.

The rice position is being alleviated as far as possible by small ships such as the A. V. Evaleeta from Sydney, which arrived in the Protectorate early in June, and left again for Sydney on June 26 to pick up some more cargo for Honiara.

The A. V. Miena, which was expected to bring up cargo, has broken down at Ballina in New South Wales. Residents are being adequately but monotonously fed on such tinned meat and local pro duce as is available, with occasional small shipments of fruit and vegetables from the Districts, a few chickens and a very occasional turtle or two.

A further shock to local systems is an acute shortage of anything but water to

drink, shipping priority having been given to basic foodstuffs at the expense of the evening liquid diet. As a corollary, copra stocks are mounting owing to lack of outward shipping.

Much is hoped for in the way of in ward cargo by next Muliama and the July Morinda, and the Banks Line copra ship Lochybank is expected in the Pro tectorate about the end of July to load copra for the United Kingdom.