Soap

Papuan Coconut Still

Not Wanted

“Frozen” Stocks Go Into Soap

THE damage done to the coconut industry in Papua-New Guinea by the Australian typhoid scare n August last year cannot be

accurately assessed.

For six months sales have been it a standstill and before they can 'eturn to anything like normal un precedented measures will have to pe taken to restore public confid ence in the product—even if given i clean bill by the Health Author ties.

At the moment there is an in surmountable prejudice in favour of ZJeylon desiccated coconut.

Although the exact figures are not available, an enormous quantity of Slew Guinea coconut must have peen seized under the direction of he Commonwealth and State health mthorities soon after the first yphoid germ was detected in Can- A spokesman for the NSW De partment of Public Health told PIM :hat at least 230 tons had been placed under seizure in that State.

U 1 of it was packaged, desiccated :oconut.

Ironically, no typhoid germ was bund in the samples examined 'in sfSW. The coconut was condemned pecause it contained organisms vhich were of intestinal origin. A ot of it was unequivocally pro lounced “dirty.”

After a long delay, the NSW De partment gave permission for the :oconut to be pressed, the oil and •esidue to be used for purposes pther than foodstuffs. In this way, mporters have been able to cut some of their losses. The Depart nent insisted that the pressing hould be done under its own super vision.

About 86 tons of two brands of icconut have already been treated, he oil being used for soap making md the residue fed to stock. At east 150 tons of another brand lave still to be treated.

Permission will have to come from he Commonwealth Department of 3ealth before shipments to Aus ralia can be renewed. One importer laid that, following a thorough in pection of NG mills and alterations hat have been made for a greater neasure of hygiene, he had called or a sample shipment. This would pe submitted to the Department or analysis.

But even if the coconut were de :lared fit for human consumption, here would remain the difficult task if selling it in the face of a strong prejudice. The importer said the tiain abstacle to be overcome in any idling campaign would be the big vholesalers who had kpst a lot of noney at the time of the typhoid

scare. These would be extremely wary of NG coconut for a long time.

Source Of Infection Not

Found

A correspondent in NG reports that despite lengthy investigations no solution has yet been found as to why the Territory’s coconut is contaminated.

All investigations made so far in the Territory have amounted to negative findings, although it was thought the situation would have been resolved by Christmas. Rats and flies have been blamed; but apparently they are only the carriers. The original source of in fection is elsewhere.

Another bacteriologist may be sent to the Territory to help in the matter. tf Mr. and Mrs. Ken McFarlane and Miss D. Kearsley and Mrs. E. C. D.

Scherrer arrived at Suva on Feb ruary 2 in the Oronsay. Mr.

McFarlane, a former resident of Suva, has been working in Canada.

Miss Kearsley is returning from leave. Mrs. Scherrer was formerly Miss Joyce Kearsley, of Suva—Her husband, Col. Scherrer, is serving with the United States forces in Korea.