‘The Isles Of Unwisdom’

(Contributed)

A BOOK about the early dis coveries in the Solomons has been published recently. It deals with Mendana’s second and last voyage, when bad planning and leadership defeated the first attempt to colonise the Solomons.

The Spaniards dreamed of rich and fertile lands, thickly populated, where domains could be carved for the pioneers. The expedition landed at Graciosa Bay, Santa Cruz in September, 1595. Hostility of the natives, due to ignorance of and harsh treatment by the Spaniards, sickness and shortage of foods, caused the abandonment of the enterprise.

Later, an account of the voyage was written and the foreword was: “The Tragedy of the Islands where no Solomon was found and no Wisdom.” The Spaniards showed some wisdom in leaving the Solomons, and never returning.

Three hundred years later, another attempt to colonise the Solomons was begun—and is now being defeated by ignorance and apathy.

WHALERS had visited the Islands looking for food and water, and picking up natives for their boats’ crews. Later, recruiting for plantations in Fiji, Queensland and Samoa, started.

With a view to regulating this traffic, a British Protectorate was formed and the sale of firearms, headhunting and the kidnapping of labour was checked. Later, in 1906, the Queensland Government re turned all natives, and all recruiting for Queensland was stopped. Re cruiting for Fiji lasted until about 1912. To absorb this returned labour, the Colonial Office opened up the Islands for planting. The Pacific Islands Co. later absorbed ay Levers, was invited to take up and for planting, on long lease lolds.

Planting on a large scale started.

Fraders took up land, the new companies were formed. Coconuts vere “The Consols of the East.”

Fhe Administration encouraged Dlanters to acquire land, and issisted them to recruit labour.

Regulations were made, protect ng the labourer against bad treat nent and giving the employer lecurity of tenure. The native land )wner was paid 2/- per acre for lis land, and this was leased to the )lanter for a term of 99 years; ’entals were on a sliding scale.

Experimental crops of rubber and iocoa were tried. Cotton was uccessfully grown at Mamara, but lasual cotton-pickers could not be obtained.

Planting died away in the 1930’5.

With the Depression, and the low price of copra, planting was a gamble. Plantations were aban doned; and, by the outbreak of

planters had left’the Group. Then Americans, In 1945, planters began to return to their plantations, to find them choked with jungle and the trees

killed by vines. All buildings had been destroyed and looted.

No welcome was given them by the Administration; some were asked to put up a Bond of £5O. No labour was offering, no transport was available, and no assistance was given by the Administration to start again. No compensation was ever paid for war damages.

The Administration took over, from the retiring American forces, the docks, roads, bridges and a certain amount of building material, in return for which the American Army was freed from all claims.

Later, the Administration re pudiated all claims. The latest good word on this matter was said at I'the last Advisory Council at Honiara. Said the Resident Com missioner; “Planters are all doing well. They don’t need compen sation.”

BUT —look at the future of the Group. Planting finished in the 30’s. Half the present yielding trees are over 40 years old. The economic life of a coconut planta tion is 50 years, after which there is a gradual decline in the yield of copra—our main product. The present yield of plantation copra is less than half the pre-war yield; only the high price now received enables the planter to carry on.

Labour is scarce, expensive and lazy; the price of rations is sky high; and transport is costly.

The natives are in a similar position. Most of them are living on trees planted by their grand parents. The present generation is not keen to plant more crops. Copra is a good price, so why worry!

Planting of rice and cocoa does not interest them. Why should it? They have no cares; food is plentiful; copra a good price—so why worry.

I venture to prophesy that in 25 years no coconut plantation will be bearing economically, and the native groves will be finished.

This calls for the exercise of some wisdom by our Administration. The world is crying for fats and oils.

Investors should be allowed to bring in outside labour; natives should be compelled to plant more coconuts and develop their lands. Rice, kapok and cocoa can be grown profitably on suitable soils and the natives should be taught agriculture.

Let the Administration forget all about schools and the higher •education. Leave that to the Missions. Subsidise the Missions and they will do a good job—better than any Government-run school.

The ideal native is not the “flash” clerk at Honiara, apeing the white man, the native that should be en couraged is he who stays at home, plants his garden and crops, builds a house and marries, unspoilt by the artificial life at Honiara, with its sly-grog shops and gambling dens.

The native should be assisted by

an Agricultural officer, with his own vessel, giving advice and help.

The office of Travelling Medical Officer should be re-introduced, to give the native advice on health, housing and sanitation. A vessel for the TMO is far more important than a yacht for the Resident Com missioner.

The Isles of Unwisdom! Who

here is the latest fool? Is it the white man who invests his money, gambles with his health in an effort to develop the Islands; or the Ad ministrator who frustrates him and does nothing practical for the native and ignores the coming collapse?

“After me, the deluge!”

Mr. and. Mrs. Barry Kelly, of Madang, New Guinea, arrived in Australia on leave, in October.

The well-known British author, Mr. Eric Linklater, found his recent short visit to Papua and New Guinea interesting and worth-while. His most memorable experience was a trip in a small Gibbes Airways plane, with Pilot Goosens, to Tapini, in the Goilala district, inland from Yule Island. The plane “landed on a shelf on a mountainside” and was the “most spectacular flight” the famous writer ever made.