Spc's Extensive

Surveys

In South Pacific

rHE South Pacific Commission has recently published ? ?

Technical papers and pamphlets.

Che following is a summary of the

jubjects covered (the publications

:an all be purchased from Noumea Jeadquarters or Sydney offices of he SPC) : POOD habits are changing bat the Samoan people still prefer local foods »r the main part of their diet, accord ig to Miss Sheila Malcolm in her SPC schnical paper "Diet and Nutrition in merican Samoa”. Nevertheless, the pro action of local foods is now insufficient > provide adequate diet for all the in abitants, so foods must be imported.

Miss Malcolm gathered material for her iper when she visited American Samoa r several months in 1952. At the request ' the American Administration she in stigated mainly the diet and nutritional ndition of infants and young children, sr paper presents clearly, and in detail, imerous facts and ideas on children’s et and nutrition, growth and develop snt of infants, and the availability and e of foods—both local and imported. j'ROM an extensive survey of dental conditions of Samoan school children, Raymond G, Neubarth, Chief of tntistry in American Samoa, concludes bat there exists a definite correlation tween dental caries and civilisation”. (Vhen compared with the dietary and tritional findings of Miss Sheila ilcolm, the doctor’s report (SPC chnical Paper No. 64, published by the mmission in August, 1954) suggests that ! change in food habits of the people isequent upon their contact with Euro ms is probably the most important tor which affects their dental condition. )r. Neubarth thinks that a return by indigenous populations to the eating (its of more isolated communities would now be practicable; nor would it tie clreck the high incidence of dental ay among island peoples.

Ie feels that in the Pago Pago Bay a, conditions are particularly suitable testing the effect of fluorination of “king water on prevention of dental ies. This method has given encourag results in several other places.

ILARIASIS, and its preventable but incurable sequel, Elephantiasis, is :ussed in two SPC technical papers. !, an Annotated Bibliography of the sases, was compiled by the Health tion of the South Pacific Commission i the assistance of several experts on

iquito-borne diseases—notably Dr. M.

T. Iyengar. The second, entitled stribution of Filariasis in the South ific Region”, was prepared by Dr. igar himself. If collates the findings nany investigations carried out in the th Pacific territories, and, in the tor’s own words, gives a bird’s-eye r the different aspects of filariasis.

The brochure is divided into four parts: • Distribution and incidence of micro filarial infection in the South Pacific region; • Distribution and incidence of elephantiasis; • Distribution of the periodic and the non-periodic forms of “Wuchereria bancrofti”: • The vectors of filarial infection. r 1 ’'HERE is no heavy focus of leprosy on the island of Tutnila, American Samoa, and on the whole it appears to be decreasing. An adequate programme of diagnosis and treatment should be effective in controlling the disease within a reasonable time.

This is the opinion of Dr. Norman R.

Sloan who recently completed a three weeks’ survey on the island. His report (SPC Technical Paper No. 62), published in July, 1954, by the South Pacific Com mission, discusses the incidence of leprosy among local inhabitants and makes several recommendations for its treatment and ultimate control.

Dr. Sloan undertook a similar survey in Western Samoa and the Cook Islands in October, 1954. His report (SPC Technical Paper No. 69), which is similar in context to that prepared in American Samoa, suggests that the programme of diagnosis and treatment now under way will bring the disease under control within a reasonable time.

A SURVEY of malaria and of ecological conditions in the Torres Strait

islands was carried out between 1949 and 1953 by Mrs. Josephine Mackerass and Miss Dorothea F. Sandars. Their report, entitled “Malaria in the Torres Strait Islands”, published by the Commission in July, 1954, determines accurately the extent of the disease in the survey area.

It states that the eastern islands, with one or two exceptions, were found to be normally free of malaria. In the western islands, a few cases of malignant tertian malaria was found on Boigu and Dauan close to the New Guinea coast. No malaria was found in Australian natives in settlements on the mainland near Cape York, and there is no evidence that malaria is now endemic anywhere on the mainland of Australia, it adds.

DURING a survey of eye diseases undertaken in the US Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands in mid-1953, the investigators found that the inhabitants of every district visited were very anxious for eye medical care. The survey was conducted by Dr. Howard E. Crawford, »f Hilo, Hawaii, Miss Grace C. Hamman, MA, of Hawaii, and Isaac Lanwi, Medical Practitioner. The doctors’ consolidated report was submitted to the South Pacific Commission under its research project on Ophthalmology. It was pnb ished in March, 1954, under the title of ‘Ophthalmological Survey of the Trust ferritory of the Pacific Islands”.

The South Pacific Commission also published in 1953-54 several technical tapers on Islands commerce, agriculture, ndustries. social science and native mlture.

The “Pacific Islander and Modern Commerce”, by Mr. Mr. V. D. Stace, is a detailed examination of commercial credit facilities and other forms of financial assistance for Pacific Island people. Field invesigations were carried out in 1953 in Fiji, American and Western Samoa, Papua and New Guinea, including New Britain and New Ireland, Netherlands New Guinea and New Caledonia.

“Cocoa Plantation Management in Western Samoa”, by Mr. D. R. A. Eden and Mr. W. L. Edwards is a description of management practices, the technique of processing the cocoa beans and the accounting procedures developed on the Reparation Estates cocoa plantation. The paper was prepared in May, 1953, at the time of Mr. D. H. Urquhart’s study of the cocoa industry in various Pacific Island territories on behalf of the South Pacific Commission.

The “Management of Coconut Planta tions in Western Samoa”, a particularly valuable paper by Mr. D. R. A. Eden, deals extensively with all those problems with which plantation managers or super visors are faced. The pamphlet is illus trated and special attention is drawn to the collecting and transport of coconuts, the New Zealand Reparation Estates standard kiln (of which company Mr.

Eden is general manager), and his des cription of the raising of cattle on coco nut estates.

“Grading of Fresh Fruit Exports from South Pacific Territories” contains all the information assembled by the Commission during its project on the grading of fruit and vegetables. The project was under

taken to consider the desirability and practicability of establishing, for agri cultural products of the region, uniform grading standards and practices which are satisfactory to buyers and within the capacity of island producers.

“The Reclamation of Tidal Mud Fiats in Tonga” is a pamphlet describing the actual reclamation work carried out on approximately 1,000 acres of tidal sand flat on Tongatapu, the main island of the Tonga group. It is written by the Head of the Department of Agriculture (Mr. W. Straatmans) at Nuku’alofa, Tonga.

In the Social and Cultural field, the Commission has published “Social Science Research in the Pacific Islands”, by the SPC Social Development Section, “The Social and Cultural Position of Micro nesian Minorities on Guam”, by Mr. R.

R. Solenberger, “A Bibliography of Co operation in the South Pacific” (Revised Edition), and “The Koror Community

Centre”, compiled from renorts supplied by the High Commissioner, Trust Terri tory of the Pacific Islands.

A handbook entitled “The Construction of Literacy Primers for Adults”, by Dr.

K. Neijs, was also published in April, 1954. The handbook is designed to assist education officers and mission teachers, who must often make their own teaching materials in the local languages.