Briskly Denied

Trochus Question

Reef-Denudation At Vanikoro Briskly Denied

THERE is no danger of denudation of the reefs of Vanikoro, British Solomons, by trochus-divers of any description, writes Mr. H.

Chaperlin, of Vanikoro, comment ing on a correspondent’s views on the subject (June PIM, page 153).

Last April, says Mr. Chaperlin, a court of inquiry was held concern ing the ownership of certain reef areas round Vanikoro, and the Dis tri c t Commissioner apportioned some of these areas to natives who produced reasonable evidence of ownership. Other areas were left open to anybody who cared to use them.

During the inquiry a witness said that in the course of his 30 years’ residence at Vanikoro nobody had ever objected to his working the reefs for shell.

MOST of the indigenous people live at Buma, in the adjacent island of Tevai, which is also enclosed in the Vanikoro reefs and

is presided over by the hereditary chief. There are not more than four nominal villages at Vanikoro, none of which is permanently in habited by more than three or four people.

“The labour employed at Vanikoro in timber-getting is recruited solely from the Santa Cruz Group,” Mr.

Chaperlin continues. "These people are almost as much at home in the

water as out of it; consequents is not surprising that some of tt find recreation at the week by taking their canoes out toe reefs for fishing and diving. T employers do not permit the usj launches for this purpose.”

Any possessor of a store or trading licence (issued annuall;! the Government for a fee, at'd discretion of the District Comr

Dner) is entitled to trade for shell ■ any other island product which ay be brought to him, and is not any way interfering with native terests when doing so, says Mr. laperlin, adding that he has no lancial or personal interest in the atter other than as a lover of fair ay.

Things are the other way about,” [ continues. “With the present gh prices for shell, the native, jether employee or local resident, [receiving more than twice the ice he received a year ago, as the suit of competition.”

HE timber-getting concessionaries f certainly did subscribe to the I policy of not working the reefs I shell or searching the forests gum, but that means that they reed not to employ labour specific y for either purpose, and this Ucy has been strictly adhered to, ys the writer.

'The suggestion that trading in p Santa Cruz Group generally has r bearing on the original agree »nt is, of course, absurd.

The bulk of the islands of this Dup lie within a radius of 150 les or so west and north-east of inikoro. Since it is necessary to ike six or seven trips a year to jse islands in search of labour, it iuld be foolish not to take advant b of trading opportunities.

The BSIP Government enjoys a asiderable revenue from the ex rt of shell, the rate of export duty lying with the upward and down ,rd movement of the market. It b issues licences to export kauri m. ‘So far as the denudation of the sfs is concerned, the limited lount of diving done either by the tive labour or the local native lidents is totally insufficient to ng about this condition. Vanikoro s a coastline of some 35 miles and [entirely surrounded by reefs dch, in places, are three to five les offshore.

“Diving time is limited by tides d weather, and the inclination, [ lack of it, of the not-too ergetic native.”