Grow

Fiji Should

A Square Banana!

By Elizabeth S. Williams

I SHOULD like to make some re ference to the Fiji banana in dustry. My sympathy goes out to the housewives of N.Z. who are the ones who really matter in this business, after all.

Before the Union Go’s banana carrying vessel is due into Suva, great is the labour of cutting and packing the bananas. Native men, women and children, from dawn to dusk, trudge wearily over the roads, where large trucks stand ready to haul to the wharf. Square crates are all over the roadsides, as bananas are pulled (not often cut) off the main stem of the stalk. Thus, an opening is left in the skin, so the fruit ripens, and rots more quickly than if the banana was left on the stalk, or at least cut away carefully so as to leave it abso lutely closed to the air. The bananas are literally stuffed into the square crates, a lid put on and a heavy pot, or a squatting child is plonked on to the top so it can be firmly nailed down.

This procedure shocked and de pressed me. I lived some time in Costa Rica, and recall the great care taken by the United Fruit Co. to ensure the most perfect delivery methods available for their Ameri can banana market. Their crates are cylinder shaped with gunny sacks inside. The banana stalk is carefully slipped—the cut end first —into the crate with the bananas turned upwards, so as hot to bruise the fruit in any way.

Naturally, I inquired why square boxes are used in this way for the long round bunches of fruit. It appears that the Union SS Co. demands that shape for storage space!

In Auckland recently, I was in a greengrocer’s shop, marketing. I saw a pitiful handful of bruised, mashed over-ripe bananas on his shelves.

“Where were these bananas grown?” I asked the proprietor.

“In Fiji,” was the reply.

“Why have you stocked such a poor variety of goods? Did you think your customers would want to purchase such poor-looking, un appetising fruit?”

“Oh, most certainly not.” The man’s face looked as depressed as the bananas themselves. “The Food Marketing Board told me, if I wanted to stock bananas at all. I would have to stock those allotted to me. The kiddies about here love them. I do the best I can for them.”

He shrugged his shoulders.

Of course children love the long,

unny-coloured fruit. Just to peel a lanana to the biting point is fun, ,nd they are nourishing and whole ome, and they are there at hand. sut how stupid not to have them old in perfect condition. That rocer should have had a whole unch hanging from his shelves, nd cut each one off close to the talk, with care, so that they would tave been perfect for each cus- Dmer.

If my memory serves me right, here was a small article published i the “Fiji Times” about a Food lommissioner being sent from lanada to look over the banana larket, with a view to importing a irge quantity of bananas from Fiji, [e bought none, as he thought lem to be of inferior grade to egin with. He said that the Cana ian housewife would not purchase lem. But I suppose that the N.Z. •overnment figures that the N.Z. ousewife should be thankful for nail blessings in the shape of a piashed banana.

I have not been in Fiji for some unths. Since then, maybe, the ind Creator has been able to pro uce a square banana to meet the rniands of a ship’s hold that take ffy square boxes.

Mr. J. Collins, formerly of BSI and ew Guinea has joined BP staff in mto, New Hebrides.

A gymkhana was to be held on Nor folk Island on June 2 in order to raise funds for the Island’s hospital.

This hospital was designed and built by the Australian Government and is a great asset, but adequate staffing and upkeep is a problem to the com munity. It has been suggested that a lottery run locally would help.

Madame Phillips, widow of the late Lou Phillips, of Tahiti, is in holiday in Auckland, staying with Madame Cabouret, also formerly of Tahiti.

Miss Mary Holder arrived in the Solomons early in May to join the staff of the Melanesian Mission.