New Export

Norfolk Hopes For New Export Outlets

a Norfolk Island Correspondent rating a new service between lia and the New Hebrides by f Norfolk Island, ships of the • Maritime Caledonien ship company may soon bring r prospects to Norfolk Island s. 1C of assured markets for local oduce and the means of trans ! products has stunted the of export trade from this •y for many years. But a de ed effort to develop trade with to the north of Norfolk may >e made. proposed regular monthly ser irough Norfolk Island by ships Societe Maritime Caledonien ny has aroused intense interest al farmers and no doubt the istration will assist in investi its potential. Formed some ago by merchants in Noumea pping company sails under the l flag and owes much of its iful development to Captain , who is no stranger to Nor land.

Outlet at Last? arts of local potatoes and to New Caledonia and New les could provide Norfolk growers with a stable and ble outlet for their produce. It ;cted that a conference of local s will be held here in the uture to put the scheme on a al basis. A four year contract jen suggested with guaranteed )rices at an economical level. folk Island has met with little 5 in efforts to increase its ex to Australia and New Zealand. >resent Administrator, Mr. R. has made persistent rep itions to the New Zealand Cus- Minister to alter some of the tions operating against local ;ts.

Customs Minister was re d to lower the high duty on beans and other vegetables and an annual maximum on the jsible import by New Zealand, mual maximum could have en ;ed the charter of freight air to lift big consignments of bles for sale in New Zealand.

Under the present system, vege tables consigned by passenger air craft are liable to be off-loaded with out notice. Since a fortnightly weight restriction of 3,000 lb is in force, growers are forced to rely on passen ger aircraft and this type of trade is not encouraged.

Last year Norfolk Island bean growers were represented at a Tariff Board inquiry but the board was not able to offer any assistance in pro tecting Norfolk Island from the

vagaries of the market. Norfolk Island must compete against Aus tralian growers and its main activity is to produce French beanseed free of disease and of a high quality.

So that this new prospect of regu lar shipping space to markets lying to the north of Norfolk instead of east and west has great significance.

If the trade is successfully developed there could be a marked rise in areas under cultivation to meet the de mand,