Fiji Sugar

Prospects: Good

Price; Not so Good

From Our Own Correspondent SUVA, August 20. mHE Chief Manager of the CSR JL Co. in Fiji said in July that the outlook for the Fiji sugar crop for 1953 is very favourable.

Planting conditions for the crop, which totals 29,200 acres this year, were good, though there were ad verse dry conditions later.

However, the crop had made ex cellent growth since, he said, and now looks extremely well. With continuation of present conditions, the Fiji crop will be a record one, estimated at 1,250,000 tons of cane or 173,000 tons of sugar.

The cane areas are gradually be ing extended beyond the areas served by railway through the use of motor trucks which are now bringing the cane to sidings from as far as 20 miles outside the exist ing cane areas. Farmers in these areas may now grow a crop which gives them an excellent monetary return.

Though the crop outlook is good, it has elsewhere been reported that, due to steadily increasing world supplies of sugar, the price outlook is not so bright. (The price of British Empire sugar is fixed in London around De cember-January each year).

H Dr. and Mrs. H. McGusty, of Auckland, were guests at Govern ment House, Suva, in early Sep tember. They are the parents oi Lady Garvey.

A bed has recently been provided at the Thursday Island Hospital by the local Hospital Board in memory of the late Dr. G. H. Vernon, whose

estate set aside £5O for the purpose.

Before Dr. Vernon retired to Dam, in Papua, he spent 15 years on TI as a Medical Officer. He was greatly loved there as well as in the Terri tory where, during World War ll he became something of a legend to the Australians who fought along the Kokoda Track. He died at Samarai in 1946.