Sedatives Are Encouraged To Develop Coconut

[?]W Guinea Basic Economy Alters As

Planting

P. Moresby, Feb. 22.

SIGNIFICANT change appears . to be taking place in the New Guinea coconut-planting in ry. ace the war, there has been very i coconut planting by Europeans, economists have expressed ety about the future of the in ry. Europeans are putting con -able areas under cocoa and e: but for a variety of reasons ■ coconut plantations (which the backbone of the Territory’s stries) are not being renewed; the life of existing groves is lily growing shorter, anwhile, under the deliberate active encouragement of the nistration, the native corn ties are planting up coconut , and giving closer attention to ing native groves; with the re that the percentage of native n copra in the Territory’s total it almost certainly will rise, art from its economic value,

this is a fact of some considerable political importance. The develop ment of a large community of native producers must affect the future of Australian New Guinea.

A STATEMENT issued for the Ad ministration in February said that, in the six months to mid- February, native communities total ling 8,000, within a 40 mile radius of Lae, have planted 35,400 coconuts, and will double this figure by June.

Directed by Morobe District Ser

vices and Agricultural Department officials, the long-range aim is to interplant with cocoa in areas where the soil is suitable, when the palms are eight to ten feet high.

The groves are being planted with selected nuts from the Administra tion Baibara Plantation at Orangerie Bay, and from Markham Valley and Tufi. The Baibara nuts are the San Ramon type, imported into the Territory pre-war by the Papuan Administration to improve coconut yields, and have an output of up to 10 ounces of meat per nut com pared with the general average of five to seven. Markham Valley coconuts are also of a special type, being big, high-yielding nuts which were introduced many years ago, probably by the German Admin

istration, and traded back from coast to the Markham Valley by natives.

A similar coconut planting p gramme has been initiated in Finschhafen area, where native cc munities have established n groves containing 25,000 seed n during the past nine months.

In addition to planting, villag are being encouraged to clear s work existing groves which have come heavily overgrown, and wh the only nuts used were the required for food. In such areai village of about 150 people has bi known to collect £75 for one mom output of copra.

Similar planting will start si in the Kaiapit Sub-District (popi. tion 14,000) at the head of Markham Valley, 80 miles northv of Lae. Existing mature gro< when cleared and worked, may g 100 tons of copra, worth £7,500.

Last year natives of Finschha Sub-District produced 12 tons coffee, and are being encouraged improve and extend their coi plots. This coffee production ' initiated before the war by Lutheran Mission. A start has b made on coffee-planting in Wain Sub-District.