South Pacific Commission

Practical Plans for Native Welfare

)LANS to guide the South Paci fic Commission next year in mtinuing its task of promoting the elf are of Pacific Islands peoples ere finalised at the Fourth Meet ig of the Research Council held

t Commission headquarters, Nou

ea, June 9-19. The Council, which

L eets annually, is the Commission’s

tpert advisory body.

The meeting was attended by sev

iteen snecialists in the Commis on’s three fields of activity: eco-

Dmic development, health and

icial development. Most were

clinical officers of territorial ad

inistrations, with wide practical

:perience of Pacific problems. The Rowing is the official list:

Health Section •

Dr. G. Loison (vice Dr. E. Massal) :ting Executive Officer for Health, SPC.

Medecin Colonel P. Filippi—Director of ;alth Services, New Caledonia, and rector of Army Health Services, French tablishments in the Pacific.

Dr. J. T. Gunther—Director of Public ;alth, Papua-New Guinea.

Dr. Hiram L. Marshall (vice Dr. James Dean) —Director of Public Health, ■ust Territory of Micronesia.

Dr. R. W. D. Maxwell (vice Dr. J. M. uikshank) —Acting Inspector - General, uth Pacific Health Service, and Acting rector of Fiji Medical Services.

Dr. H. B. Turbott —Deputy Director meral, NZ Department of Health.

Mr. J. C. van Hell—Head of Malario jical Service, Dutch New Guinea.

Economic Development

Mr. Homer Baker (vice Dean Knowles Ryerson)—Director of Economic Affairs, •ust Territory of Micronesia.

Mr. D. R. Eden—General Manager, NZ jparation Estates, Western Samoa.

M. M. Legend (vice Dr. F. Bugniciort) Acting Director, French Institute of :eania, New Caledonia.

Mr. B. E. V. Parham, 0.8. E [ricultural Officer, Fiji.

Mr. T. H. Strong—Director, Bureau of iricultural Economics, Australia.

Social Development

Mr. H. E. Maude, OBE —Executive Offi r for Social Development, SPC.

Dr. J. van Baal—Head of the Bureau Native Affairs, Dutch New Guinea.

Dr. Homer G. Barnett—Staff Anthro logist, Trust Territory of Micronesia.

Mr. F. J. Grattan—Secretary of Samoan fairs, Western Samoa.

Mr. J. C. Guiart —Ethnologist, French stitute of Oceania, New Caledonia.

Mr. J. H. Jones—Director of District rvices and Native Affairs, Papua-New jinea.

Mr. G. K. Roth (vice Mr. Howard Hay n) —Assistant Colonial Secretary, Fiji.

Observers

Mr. A. J. Patterson—World Health rganisation.

Mr. Homer Baker —Pacific Science As ciation.

South Pacific Commission

Sir Brian Freeston, KCMG—Secretary eneral.

Dr. J. van Baal, Head of the ureau of Native Affairs, Govern

ment of Netherlands New Guinea, was elected Chairman.

The Council reviewed the progress made in the year’s work programme, and formulated recommendations for 1953. Special consideration was given to the extension of Commis sion projects to include Guam and the Trust Territory of Micronesia, which are now included in the Commission’s area.

Importance Of Food

The Council considered over 40 existing projects. The main em

phasis was on economic develop ment, especially the Commission plans for encouraging the expansion of food and cash crops in South Pacific territories. The need for regional development in this field is becoming increasingly urgent, because of the steady growth in population of many territories.

As the coconut is a basic food

ituff and major source of wealth, he Commission is fostering coco iut production in many ways, and romoting increased plantings of im troved high-yielding strains.

A specialist from the Ceylon Coconut Research Institute, Mr. W.

T. D. Pieris, has just arrived at Commission headquarters to make , survey and prepare recommenda ions. He will collaborate in the ex »eriments to develop improved trains of coconuts for South Paci ic regions that are now being car ied out in Samoa by NZ Repar ,tion Estates, a plantation enter irise owned by NZ Government.

The Council reviewed the exten ive research work on the coconut »alm that is being carried out in he area, notably in Papua and New Guinea, Fiji and Western Samoa.

Another specialist officer, Mr. L. r. Dumbleton, an eminent New Zealand entomologist, has been ap >ointed to the staff of the Commis ion. He is examining the plant md animal quarantine regulations »f the various territories to deter nine if more efficient quarantine >arriers can be developed. This is tf vital importance to the copra in ustry, owing to the growing menace )f the rhinoceros beetle, a pesu vhich is inflicting extensive damage o coconut crops in some territories.

An eminent world authority on he cocoa industry, Mr. D. H.

Jrquhart, is engaged in an exten

sive tour of territories, investigating for the Commission the possibilities of expanding production.

The development of the rice in dustry in suitable areas was con sidered by the Council, which recognised that serious problems of manpower and capital were in volved.

In Fiji an experimental garden is maintained by the Department of Agriculture, assisted by the Com mission, for the introduction and improvement of plants of economic importance. After studying its re ports, the Council reaffirmed the importance it attached to the work of plant introduction as a basis for the regional development of agri culture. A similar garden in the New Guinea Highlands Experimen tal Station at Aiyura was considered of equal importance.

The Council endorsed the report of the recent Fisheries Conference and made plans to implement its recommendations.

To Assist Native Health

In the field of health, the Council reviewed the work of the Commis sion’s nutritionist, who for the past two years has been carrying out field investigations on child and adult nutrition in Papua, New Guinea, and New Hebrides. It was considered possible that the Lava process for extracting oil and protein from fresh coconut meat, as yet untried in the region, might make available a protein suitable for infant food, now so lacking in the area.

The work of the Commission’s tuberculosis teams, which carried out field investigations during 1950 and 1951 in Fiji, Samoa, Cook Is lands, French Oceania and New Caledonia, was studied.

Reviewing the year’s work on fil ariasis and elephantiasis, the Coun cil considered that an important contribution to world knowledge of these diseases had been made.

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The Council studied the report on leprosy in Nauru, prepared by Dr.

C. J. Austin (Medical Superinten dent of Makogai Leprosy Hospital in Fiji) who also recently conducted a survey in the Solomons. Another leprologist, Dr. Norman Sloan, of New York, is making a survey in Netherlands New Guinea.

Education And Housing

In social development, the pro

gress made in 21 defined projects was examined. Projects already completed include those relating to anthropological and linguistic sur veys of the Pacific, visual education, and a survey of the vocational training needs of the Islands peoples.

Nearing completion are thos,e deal ing with native housing in the South Pacific, community development on the island of Moturiki, Fiji, and a

prototype central vocational train ing institution for the region.

The interest shown in the co operative movement by native peop les is regarded as evidence of their desire to play a greater part in their economic and social advance ment, and in the use of their re sources. As the Commission has sought means by which it can ad vise territorial administrations to develop the movement, the Council made a specific proposal for con sideration by the Commission.

The Council dealt with the cur rent activities of the South Pacific Literature Bureau, set un earlier this year by the Commission to promote distribution of simple literature for Islands peoples.