Contract

[?]D Of Mof Copra

[?]hat Is To Follow 1957?

From R. W. Robson

London, Sept. 4.

£ERE is no sign in high official mom here of any move to create [any new official machinery to idle South Pacific copra at Gov ment level when the 9-years’ ash Ministry of Food copra con- K expires at the end of 1957. pvate interests are showing in ising curiosity regarding the flitions likely to rule after 1957. le express the view that some i of official machinery to take folace of the copra marketing rds in New Guinea, Fiji, etc., is ain to be created. But top lals to whom I have talked this t simply say that, so far as can een now, copra will revert com lly to private handling after the of 1957. t Edwin McCarthy, Australian ie Commissioner at Australia se. said he had no doubt that, request for some kind of prefer- I for British-produced South fic copra were made through Governments concerned to the ish Government, it would have Smthetic consideration. [ pointed out, however, that it [is the deliberate policy of the sh Government to leave all such ? in private hands, and various wnents made in the late ;ies to cover various kinds of pionwealth products had been red to lapse. But owing to al circumstances the system [continued in some degree in ion to meat and sugar. By sment with the British Gov lent, all the British sugar-pro ig countries now had a quota m under which they supplied British market. Some such [might be possible in the field •pra production and supply—no [ in exploring the possibilities, at were the wish of the South ic people concerned, pggested that Unilever might in important factor in the 5h official outlook over the [ industry after 1957. t Sir Edwin would not discuss .angle. He, like everyone else, f the British Department >od has been closely associated [the international Lever In 'S in handling the copra which arrived in Europe since 1948 ’ the MOF contract; and Levers •ally will have some influential in any official arrangements after 1957. But it is delicate id, and the wary (and Aus - House is wary) will not tread

HOWEVER, if there is to be any thing done to create machinery for official copra-handling after 1957, the opinions of Australia House will count for much. As I pointed out in a previous article, the Australian Trade Commissioner and his lieutenants are thoroughly conversant with the European copra market and its peculiarities—they were largely responsible for limit ing the 1955 MOF contract reduc tion to 7! per cent., when practic ally everyone else was prepared to concede 10 per cent.

If South Pacific copra growers are likely to make an appeal for the continuance of officially-directed marketing, they would be wise to assemble all possible data to show

that there has been substantial new planting in recent years.

I gather that, in official circles there is an impression that, since the beginning of the highly profit able MOF Contract, planters have been content to reap the rich harvest, and have not ploughed back into their plantations, in new trees any appreciable part of their in come. If that is borne out bv statistics, the British Government may not be friendly to any new preference plan. ? Mr - George Newman, of Brisbane, is one of the two Government appomted directors on the board of Commonwealth-New Guinea Timbers, Ltd.