Poor Communications

■ebrides Troubles if Copra Prices and Poor Communications

W Hebrides is currently quali fing for the Cinderella title igst territories in the South ic. b Condominium —being half th—is not included in the UK jtry of Food agreement with h Pacific copra producing terri a consequence, while planters ighbouring territories are still ing almost £7O per ton for copra, the price paid to »rs in the Hebrides is around ■delivered Vila or Santo, liters complain that although rice has fallen so much, taxes )ther imposts have risen and has been a 10 per cent, in- I in shipping freight charges ance. se who rent plantations from ;e French plantation company a particularly bad position as lease agreement stipulates that I cent, of their production goes s company, and, in addition, issee is expected to plant up ,reas in coconuts.

Condominium is now more id than it has been for years.

There have been no air services since June; the Bums Philp motor vessel Tulagi, which carries only 10 passengers, has taken over the ser vice formerly performed by Malaita, which could carry anything up to 50 on the Sydney-Norfolk Island- Solomons-Hebrides-New Guinea ser vice; and the Messageries Maritime vessel Polynesia has only a few berths available for New Hebrides passengers.

Most pressing worry of New Hebrides residents at present is how their children at school in Noumea and Australia are going to get home for the long Christmas holidays.