Baskets

Sydney Wants Niue

in February a large Syd j ney department store was featuring Niue Island baskets — or the first time in 12 months d’ve received a shipment of just i,” the advertisement announced.

They were imported to Australia r a well-known Islands firm. The tailers admitted that they made i per cent, on cost —and it may be sumed that the importers make least 25 per cent. In addition, iport and other taxes claim 33 per nt.

The baskets on sale were about inches by 8 inches across the outh, and they retailed at 11/3 ustralian currency. The Niue pro icers receive a very low return— mething like 2/- NZ per basket, ravellers to Niue can buy a good zed basket on the beach for about 6 NZ.

The retailers stated that they had firm order with the importers for 0 dozen of these baskets, but were ;ver able to get enough of them, ost of Niue’s basketware goes to Z on the Union Co.’s ships, but trough the Niue Post Office, which lows postal concessions on basket are. The NZ shipping strike in 151 held up supplies of baskets id, as Niue gets a ship only every w months, there is still a backlog, his is one reason why supplies are

shorter than usual in Australia.

Actually, there is a huge market in Australia for Islands handiwork of this kind, taut it never has been developed because of the enormous charges for both duty and distribu tion. Natives in many Islands would be happy to engage in these indus tries, if they could get a fair return.

It seems to be the sort of thing the Pacific Islands Missions organisa tions could handle, with advantage to all concerned-