Ginger Experiment

Ends in Disaster

HERE may be a warning for territories like Fiji and the Cook Islands, which have given le consideration to developing ger as a small alternative crop, a recent agricultural report from eensland. iast year the Buderim Ginger ewers’ Co-operative Assn., Ltd., jorted 25 tons of seed ginger at ost of £2,000 from North China, is ginger would have placed the gensland industry on a com itive basis with the best overseas )orted processed ginger. ■he ginger was inspected by the jartment of Agriculture and, with exception of a small quantity, ; found in good condition, [owever, almost the entire ntity developed a virulent virus ;ase that spread through the soil [ could be carried on boots from plantation to another, i May, a warning was issued to wers that unless all the affected ps were immediately uprooted [ burnt the whole area might jme infected and the existing itings of local ginger wiped out. .efuting carelessness by the rantine authorities, a depart ital spokesman said the variety finger imported from China did suit local conditions because of susceptibility to disease.

t A fete was held at the Catholic School, near Rove, Honiara, BSIP, on April 30, to raise funds for equip ment and improvements to the school, the building of which was recently completed. The fete was attended by almost every European resident at Honiara, and by a large crowd of Solomon Islanders. Stalls were quickly cleared, and £4OO was raised during the afternoon. t When the Maritime Security Commission at Noumea recently fixed the maximum number of passengers carried in inter-island

vessels, the Rosalie’s quota was set at 21. Rosalie is a sister-ship of Monique, which was lost two years ago with 120 on board.