Native Communal
p. 68 · Read in the full issue
Progress Near Rabaul
THE remarkable degree of local government undertaken by the village councils of the Rabaul area—referred to by PIM last November —impressed Mr. H. E.
Maude (South Pacific Commission’s Executive Officer for Social Development) when he was there in March.
“The Councils now in successful operation in Gazelle Peninsula,” he said, “are remarkable in two important respects; firstly by the degree of community participation, and by being concerned with a progressive programme of native economic development more especially, the development of cocoa, of which considerable areas have been planted under Council stimulus.
“The Councils themselves arrange for the purchase of the native cocoa crop, and operate their own fermentaries and other processing
jpquipment.
“The main revenue of the Councils is obtained by a tax, fixed and collected by themselves. This enables them to provide schools, water supplies and numerous other community undertakings which,
only a few years ago, would have seemed quite beyond them. t Brother Martin Ramjam, of Fiji, took his first vows as a Capuchin Friar at a NSW seminary in May.
II Mr. W. Schutz of Tarawa, wt recently qualified for a Secor Mate’s * certificate at a Sydnc navigation school, is now a dec officer aboard the Australian coash Belungra.