Santo Fishing?

Second Thoughts on Santo Fishing?

RUMOURS were freely circulat ing in the New Hebrides in October-November that the planned tuna industry, which was to have been based on Santo, has been abandoned due to pressure from Canberra through Whitehall.

The industry was to be backed by an American Import-Export Bank loan to a Japanese firm, as well as local New Hebrides capital. The fishing was to be done by Japanese.

According to the plan, the com pany should now have been ready to commence operations. There was opposition from a section of the British residents of NH to any in dustry involving Japanese labour or finance, and it is assumed that if the industry has been still-born their protests must have won the day.

Earlier this year the then British Resident Commissioner of NH said that every aspect of the proposed industry had been considered by the Administration and discussed with overseas authorities. The official view then was that this appeared to be a valuable and badly needed alternative industry for NH