at Mangaia

[?]elf-Help Experiment:

Profit and Loss at Mangaia

PROFIT and loss in his efforts to help Mangaia people help jmselves (Nov. PIM) are reported Mr. Ronald Syme, writing in mid arch.

One of the projects was to monstrate that the local cost of ing could be lowered, and trade >re business boosted, if the trade )re owners were prepared to set eir profits at a 33 per cent irgin, and use discrimination in lecting their overseas buying irces.

Vlr. Syme gained the co-operation a Maori trade-store owner who rchased goods overseas, and per tted Mr. Syme to police his counts and margins. Business Mned —but only while the luntary policing lasted. Then atives were able to out-talk Mr. me in convincing the owner that long as all the traders charged * same excessive prices, the public uld simply have to pay more— ace greater and quicker profits. . Syme says that business has iguished greatly in consequence, d the storekeeper is rather less ■e that his own system is better. *o early revolution in trading as and methods on the grand ,le is seen for Mangaia. Still, i demonstration has given food thought—and even that is pre ss. 1 the copra sphere, the island now has five kiln driers where there were none a year ago. pra standards have risen rkedly as a result, and producers now getting together and ship g their copra directly to the New iland crushing mill (where all )k Islands copra goes) rather n through local traders. With increasing output of all produce, ter shipping connections for set shipment, and the saving of mt £7 in transhipment charges Rarotonga, seem likely.

Growers are clubbing together to )ort their own sacks—few alone i afford the cost of a minimum er of about £l5O to gain the lefit of a direct purchase from manufacturers.

'here is progress in the pineapple ustry. An idea seemed to have ome current at Mangaia that particular variety of pines wn there could not be canned cessfully. Mr. Syme has or tised an experimental shipment canned pulp which has been re ted on satisfactorily. As a re : the Cook Islands Administra i has shown immediate interest

and is now considering assistance to a small community cannery.

THERE is a keen demand for the produce so long as it comes up to the standard of the experimental shipment, and, with the supervision of the Resident Agent or some other reliable person, there appears to be no reason why Mangaia cannot develop a promising industry. A cannery is the obvious answer to all the problems of irregular shipping which plague the fresh-fruit industry.

Though coffee prices have fallen somewhat since last year, a drier is ready to go into operation and a good initial shipment is forecast as the crop becomes available this

winter. A keen revival of this once important industry seems possible.

Mr. Syme, whose brother is a Governor of the Northern Terri tories of the Gold Coast, considered that dhurra—a kind of sorghum grass—could be usefully introduced to Mangaia from Africa. He suggested it to Mr. H. C. Gerlach, tropical agronomist of the NZ De partment of Agriculture, who pays regular visits to the Island terri tories. Mr. Gerlach was in favour of the idea and dhurra seeds have arrived.

“It’s a 6 ft high grass which has a fine head of corn on it within 90 days of planting. The corn is a first-class food for human beings, either as a rich flour, or in porridge

m. It also provides a fine grain horses, goats, pigs, and poultry ,nd God knows the Mangaian ‘stock need some decent food,” s Mr. Syme.

The stalks are excellent for ,tching, etc. and can be used as ■ fodder for some animals. It is principal food for man and mal in the Sudan”, he adds, lhanges will not come rapidly in Cooks, but some of the projects hand are a step in the right jction.