Eighth Session Opens in Noumea

South Pacific Commission

rHE eighth session of the South Pacific Commission commenced at Commission headquarters, Joumea, on October 29, and it was xpected to last two weeks. M. iassalle-Sere, Senior Commissioner or France, was chairman.

The Australian delegation com rised: Mr. J. R. Halligan, Senior Commissioner and Mr. W. C.

Proves, Acting Commissioner; and lessrs. B. Kuskie (External iffairs); and D. T. Lattin (Terri ories), as Advisers.

Professor K. O. Shatwell (Aus ralia’s second Commissioner) could ot attend, and Mr. Groves Director of Education in New luinea) acted in his stead.

As the Governor of Fiji OSir Brian 'reeston) was away on leave, prior d retirement, the British delegation omprised the Hon. A. F. R. toddart (Colonial Secretary and .cting Governor of Fiji) and Mr. [. H. Vaskess (second Commis ioner).

Sir Brian Freeston, who will ssume the duties of Secretary leneral of the Commission on the Dmpletion of his service with the hlonial Office, passed through ydney on November 9, for Noumea, r here he will take un residence in ue course. During the meeting of le Commission, Mr. John Ryan cted as Secretary-General.

Research Post for NZ Economist The Commission decided to offer 3 Dr. Eric Mervyn Ojala, M.Agr. c., 8.A., Ph.D. (Oxon.), the post f Deputy Chairman of its Research Council. If he accepts, Dr. Ojala ill follow Dr. Baas Becking, who last year, and his task will e the direction and co-ordination f the Commission’s work pro ramme for promoting better living :andards among peoples in South acific Territories.

Dr. Ojala is 35 and is a New ealander. In 1943, after five years’ jrvice with the NZ Department of .griculture, he went to the olomon Islands as Agricultural >fficer for three years. He has first and knowledge of Samoa, New aledonia, Fiji, and Tonga. He lanned the first census of agri culture in Western Samoa in 1950. [e now holds the post of rural :onomist to the NZ Department of griculture.

Quarantine Committee Formed A special committee to draw up andard quarantine regulations for on-pestilential diseases in the outh Pacific has been formed, hairman is Dr. J. M. Cruikshank tnspector-General of the South acific Health Service).

Nutrition Miss Sheila Malcolm, an Aus tralian nutritionist, has almost com pleted her field investigations in the New Hebrides on child and adult nutrition. Miss Malcolm is working in collaboration with Mr. F. Peters, a Commission biochemist, who is conducting research work on the nutritive value of Pacific foodstuffs in the laboratories of the Institute of Anatomy, Canberra.

Tuberculosis The Commission’s tuberculosis research team, under the leader ship of Dr. G. Clerc (French Colonial Medical Service) completed its research work in American Samoa early in July, when it left for the Cook Islands. After study ing epidemiological techniques in Rarotonga, the team left for French Oceania to carry out further in vestigations.

Model Training Institution The Derrick Report on the vocational training of Islands peoples, prepared for the Commis sion by Mr. R. A. Derrick, (Director of Technical Training \n Fiji)

recommended the establishment at Suva of a prototype vocational training institution, An authority of world repute in this field, Dr. F. J. Harlow has been engaged to produce detailed plans for the Commission. Dr. Harlow, who has carried out similar work for the

British Colonial Office, in Africa and elsewhere, will undertake this task early next year, after com pleting a survey in the Far East, .

South Pacific Literature Bureau Mr. D. B. Roberts, B.Sc., will assume charge early next year of

this Bureau, which was recently established by the Commission to promote the circulation of suitable, literature throughout the Souttl Pacific. Mr. Roberts, who is at. present Acting Director of the.

Central African Literature Bureaut has been engaged in the production of vernacular literature and asso-( ciated activities for 15 years.

The film and filmstrip libraries ox the Bureau are now functioning? and the first appraisal lists have been issued. It is considered the Bureau’s film library will before long comprise the most complete; film record in the world of the; South Pacific Islands.

Co-Operatives The co-operative movement in the Cook Islands was investigated in July and August by Mr. H. Et Maude, Executive Ofiicer for Social Development, at the invitation ox the New Zealand Government.

Housing Survey A highly qualified tropical hous-; ing expert is now conducting s basic housing survey of the South Pacific for the Commission. He iu Professor J. P. Thijsse, of Bandoeng; University. During September Iwj carried out investigations in th»j Cook Islands and Samoa. Hiu remaining itinerary includes visits to Fiji, New Caledonia, and Papusj and New Guinea.

Two Agricultural Projects The “Quarterly Bulletin” features two articles on agricultural projects in Fiji which the Commission il assisting by grants-in-aid.

The first, “The Breeding of Dairy Cattle for Tropical Climates,” is by Mr. W. J. A. Payne, Animar Husbandry Officer of the Fiji Department of Agriculture. Thu experiment, which is being carrieo? out in association with the Ruakurr Animal Research Station in Nev Zealand, should yield importanr information on the acclimatisation of European-type dairy cattle to i marine tropical climate. Eight setJ of identical twins are being use*s making it possible t<p raise twr groups of animals with approxii mately the same heredity, in tw<\

[istinct climatic environments Lundreds of miles apart. Conditions f feeding and housing are ientical.

The second article, “Plant Info-a uction in Fiji,” by Mr. B. E. V. ’arham (Senior Agricultural Officer, *iji) describes the activities of the government’s plant introduction bation, established at Naduruloulou, *iji, for research on the intro uction and distribution through ut the South Pacific of plants of conomic importance.