Wasted Meeting

Wasting Palms—And A

THE official report of the meeting; of the Solomon Islands Advi- sory Council held in September, 1951,, was not published until the Western!

Pacific High Commission Gazette j came out at the end of last February,, and a copy of that reached us only', recently. This was the meeting at tended by the Rt. Hon. John Dugdale,, British Minister for the Colonies.

This report contained a great deall of interesting and important mat erial; but it is now of little use be cause so many changes, administrativea and otherwise, have taken place smcea September.

It is suggested that, if a report ott Council is to be published at all, am effort should be made to get it mtco circulation within a few weeks—anffi certainly before the next Council! meeting is held. Otherwise, it isi merely a waste of effort and moneyA At the September meeting, Mr. L.

C Thomas pointed out that, as the copra industry, directly and indirect! ly, provided 75 per cent, of the BSi< revenue, there should be a biggeL allocation to the Agriculture Depart! ment. He urged that there shouloi be research into the illnesses—presenr and potential—of the coconut palms “Very few people seem to realist? that the palms are a wasting asset,, said Mr. Thomas “and I visualise m 30 years from now, unless somethin;! is done, *we will see very few palmn bearing as they are to-day in the Pro tectorate, and I do think somethin! to relieve the situation should W done. .

“I urge appointment of an Agron omist who would be allocated to thri improvement of the soil and thn breeding of the palms: that is, unles. we are going to change the whole policy and go in for an alternate crop. They are at present our onh asset—and I think it is up to tbf Government as well as companies, tr do something to improve that asset!