Advisory Council
p. 22 · Read in the full issue
Planned For
Gilberts
The Gilbert and Ellice Islands
Colony is moving to establish an
Advisory Council.
r[E Resident Commissioner of the GEIC, Mr. M. L. Bernacchi, told representatives of the various islands who assembled at Makin for the third Biennial Colony Confer ence, that the Government thought this was the next step in consti tutional advancement.
The conference later agreed unanimously that an Advisory Council should be formed forthwith.
Mr. Bernacchi told the conference that two years ago when he spoke to delegates at Funafuti the financial outlook had been very bleak. But since then there had been a “distant brightening of the financial hori zon”, Mr. Bernacchi said factors con tributing to the improvement in cluded an increase in copra prices and production (4,326 tons in 1957 to 9,879 tons last year); an increase in payments for phosphate from Ocean Island (from 14/- a ton to 21/- a ton for the next three years, and to 23/- a ton for the following two years, when the five-year agree ment would be re-examined) and a further generous grant of £312,500 from Colonial Development and Welfare Funds for expenditure up to 1964.
Increase in Reserves
Mr. Bernacchi said the Colony’s Revenue Equalisation Reserve Fund, as a result of the increased phos phate payment, would increase its annual intake from £25,000 to £75,000, which meant the Colony could build up a fund to produce sufficient interest to cushion the financial loss resulting from the phosphate deposit being worked out in about 25 years.
Mr. Bernacchi said the plans for the use of the CD and WF money was still being discussed, but would include expenditure on improve ment of reef passages, on agricul ture and fisheries development, and on higher education overseas.
It would also provide a third of the cost of a new Government ship —a sister ship to Ninikoria, which would replace Nareau and the fire damaged Te Matapula.
Speaking of recent development progress, Mr. Bernacchi noted that since he last addressed the as sembled leaders, the Central Hos pital had been completed, the Elaine Bernacchi School had been built, the Betio and Bairiki Harbour projects had been almost completed, and the new Ninikoria had arrived.