To Spend Its Money
p. 33 · Read in the full issue
BSIP Finds It Difficult To Spend Its Money £600,000 Budget for 1953
riTHE Advisory Council of the X British Solomon Islands met in Honiara in October. Here are some points made during dis cussions:— • Accounts for 1952 have not yet been finalised. It is, however, esti mated that the deficit for that year will be only £58,800 instead of the £148,000 that had been contem plated. • It seemed that in respect of 1953, revenue would be about £534,000 and expenditure £586,000, leaving a deficit of £52,000 instead 3f the £300,000 that had been ex pected. The under-spending in both years was due to inability to carry Dut construction programmes as planned. • Due to a hardening of the 3opra market lately, it is expected ihat there will be no reduction in Ihe MOF price for copra in 1954 3r at the outside, one of not more than 5 per cent, • The Right Reverend S. G.
Uaulton, Bishop of Melanesia, spoke )f the diligence with which His Excellency the High Commissioner ind Mrs. Stanley had devoted flemselves, often with no little dis :omfort, to the important duty of dsiting as many localities as pos lible within the Protectorate.
Members had taken note of this nth gratification. • Mr. L. F. Gill, Mr. G. Kuper ind Mr. K. H. D. Hay all spoke of he difficulty of procuring sufficient ir efficient labour. Mr. Kuper idvocated a system of indentured abour; Mr. Hay suggested that abour be introduced from outside he Protectorate. • In referring to the proposals for n indentured labour system, Mr. *• N. Dalton, BSIP Attorney leneral, said that if the reason or the suggestion of such a system ly in the desire to introduce penal anctions for breach of contract, he ras afraid they would be in for Dme difficulty because of the Inter ational Labour Convention agree lent adopted in 1948.
H The Most Rev. Dr. Lehman, Vicar Apostolic in the Cook Islands, re turning by air from a visit to Rome, broke his journey in Fiji in mid- November to visit Cook Island patients at the Central Leper Hos pital, Makogai, and students at St.
Johns College, Cawaci. He con tinued on to Auckland: from there he was to return to Rarotonga by sea.
H The Rev. Father J. J. O’Loughlin, one of a group of Irish Columban Fathers who came to Fiji last Feb ruary, has been a patient at the Tamavua Sanatorium, Suva, for the past three months. In mid-Novem ber he journeyed to Sydney for further treatment.