[?]S Research Could Mean

More Uses for the Coconut?

[?]S Research Could Mean New Hope For Planters

From a Correspondent in Apia Forced last year to balance the budget by selling £175,000 her dwindling £500,000 reserves, and facing this year an im nding trade deficit of £700,000 (brought about by falling ces for cocoa and copra) Western Samoa, and the rest of Pacific Islands, may find avenues of escape from bank- Dtcy through scientific investigations that have been going on the United States for the last two years.

his return from West Samoa’s lependence celebrations, Prince , Prime Minister of Tonga, told ers in Fiji that if a scheme ed by American interests comes lition, Tonga will be able to alf its total production of coco br processing at a new factory lerican Samoa. 5 now is confirmed by Mr. P. elly, general manager of Wes- Samoa Trust Estates Corpora vhich owns 8,500 acres of coco lantations in Western Samoa, though plans are still only in nvestigation stage,” said Mr.

“schemes envisaging a process ictory at Pago Pago hold en ding prospects for the Samoan industry.”

Kelly said that investigations he possibilities of using coco n a higher scale than at present sparked by the visit to Samoa 1 years ago by an American laire, Mr. H. Rehnborg.

Coconut Diet bod manufacturer, Mr. Rehn ivas intrigued by the fact that iu Islanders subsist almost on coconuts and fish, and yet no dietary deficiencies. In co ion with WSTEC, he arranged remical investigation in USA he properties of the coconut, ome startling results, vas found that coconut juice ned hormones that accelerated growth; had properties slowing ;eing process in humans; con many vitamins and vitamin >; and was also a source of al oils. onut flour was found to be ex for making cakes, and es y certain types of biscuits;

and—important from the commer cial view—the oil extracted from fresh nuts was, unlike that from smoke-blackened dried copra, imme diately edible.

“Many other uses of the coconut, such as for coir, fertiliser, glue, and a decarbonising agent, are already known,” said Mr. Kelly. “The in vestigations have been aimed at pro ducing specialty products, and at finding a way towards the complete utilisation of the coconut.

“It is only in the production of such high-priced specialty products, and the greater utilisation of the coconut, that we can escape from the depressed wage-levels upon which the copra industry now depends. For this reason we in Western Samoa are very interested in the outcome of the investigations.”

Escape Tax

Although Western Samoa could supply most nuts in this area, the advantages in having the factory in Pago apparently are that its products will then escape the penalty tax on imports from outside American terri tory.

“And it is in the United States that the main market for specialty pro ducts will lie,” said Mr. Kelly.

It is not likely there will be a quick decision on the proposed fac tory as Mr. Kelly explained, “Firstly, there is chemical analysis. This is followed by study by industrial chemists and engineers. Then, if the scheme proves economically sound, the machinery needed to process the nuts has to be developed.

“It is a long process with no cer tainty of success, but it is being gone into very thoroughly. We are giving the project every assistance, mindful of the benefits to ourselves if plans do come to fruition.”