Are These Things

Good

For The Bsi Natives?

Letter to the Editor 1 THINK that the Solomon Islands Gov ernment is open to some constructive criticism concerning its native co operative stores scheme, and bread-making in native villages.

The co-operative stores import goods, and particularly food. Has the Govern ment not observed the increasing ten dency amongst natives to neglect their gardens? What better food, from a health point of view, could these people have than root vegetables, greens, corn, fruits?

All these, and many more edible and val uable things, can be grown. Fish are plentiful, but the majority of natives now seem too lazy to spend a few hours fishing.

One can live off the land here; and, if an intensive cultivation scheme was in troduced, and encouraged by Government, it would be of real benefit.

By encouraging the natives to import food, we defeat the much-talked-about new agricultural methods. The natives are quite adequately serviced by Euro pean and Chinese stores, if they need a change in diet.

Does the Government not realise that there is a world-wide shortage of essential foods and that people are being asked to grow more, and that people in other parts of the world are actually starving? Why not encourage the natives to become really

self-supporting?

Supposing the importation scheme de velops—as it surely will whilst the natives have money and their natural laziness is encouraged—and then shipping suddenly ceases—what would happen then? Why should the natives not contribute to some thing of real value?

Judging by the number of baker’s licences issued to natives by the Govern ment, bread-making is thought to be a great step forward. These licences are being granted to natives —one at each village.

No thought seems to have been given to hygiene—the science of preserving health —and bread-making in native villages is very definitely not hygienic. These native bakers have no idea of hygiene. Flies, the greatest disease carriers, do not mean a thing to natives.

In any event, the change to a bread diet is not a particularly good thing for these people. Laziness, again, is being encouraged; essential gardening is neg lected, and health standards definitely lected, and health standards will fall.

One cannot see any real advance of native welfare in either project— I am, etc.,

Interested Observer.

A recent issue of the Gazette of the Western Pacific High Commission shows that Mr.

R. D. Blandy, CMG. QBE, left the position of British Resi dent Commissioner in New Hebrides, on retirement leave, on November 10. 1950; that Judge H. J. M. Flaxman, who had assumed office as British Judge in the Joint Court of the New Hebrides in Novem ber, 1949. became Resident Commissioner on Novem ber 10, 1950; and that Mr. B.

F. Blackwell, who has acted as Resident Commissioner for a time, handed over to Judge Flaxman in April, 1951, and resumed duty as Assistant Resident Commissioner.

Rabaul Wedding

A photograph taken after the wedding of Miss Louise Burrows to Mr. Jack Lee on June 2. (See page 55, this issue.)