Good Sugar Industry
pp. 42-55 · Read in the full issue
Prospects In Fiji
From a Suva Correspondent The position of the sugar i; dustry in Fiji appears to be ve;
satisfactory.
THE four sugar mills have be; crushing steadily since the begi ning of the season, and the indicatioc in early December were that all i quirements would be met.
The world demand for sugar hr been good. It has been stimulated 1 the refusal of the United States accept any sugar from Cuba duri.i most of 1962. Australia and F sugar growers have benefited accon ingly.
The sugar-growers of Fiji have bet encouraged to plant liberally for n© season. The estimated requirement planters up to November 7 w* 34,095 acres; and the estimates of tr millers at the same date showed tH 32,015 acres—or 93.9 per cent.-, had been planted. This seems to © sure a satisfactory season in 1963.
The Legislative Council agreed a resolution in December that tt Government should be empowen to guarantee a loan to the Sug Board from the Sugar Price Stabilisi tion Fund for housing and otH purposes. Some members, in vae asked for Fund loans to be extendfa to farmers.
had laid in supplies ready for a loni period of darkness. * * ♦ On Buka, Bougainville, Nev Guinea, more than 1,000 villagers c the small hamlet of Hahalis attacke: police sent to arrest some of then for tax evasion. The resulting troubll ricocheted in headlines around thr world, and the public learned for the first time of a movement known a the Hahalis Native Welfare Society which operated a form of homespui communism, and in which the com munity’s single girls, housed together were encouraged to breed. * * ♦ Nauruan leaders arrived ii Canberra for talks on the future c Nauru, whose people will have t) move before the phosphate deposit are exhausted in another 30 yearr The talks, held in secret, were om of a number of moves made to settE the problem of where the Nauruann new home should be—in Australia c on an island near Australia. * * * The West New Guinea Council, ii Hollandia, decided it wanted thd country’s future decided by 1970 The Council decided it was of nr importance who administered thd country before provided the right o self-determination was guaranteeo;
Bearded ex-schoolteacher Francis Hag? one of the rebel leaders, in the Buka ta? troubles in February.
xlonesia was ruled out because it ould “not allow the Papuan people decide for themselves in freedom”. ♦ * * '.The Melbourne Herald announced Eat the Australian Government had itched its policy on West New uinea. It said the Government had icepted the view that Indonesia ould soon gain control of West New uinea and that it was better to have donesia as a friendly neighbour with common frontier rather than risk astralian security by supporting the jtch. 4 ARTH • Legislation provid- IMKUn • j n g f or trade unions aongst native workers and for the ;;ht to strike was passed at the NG Legislative Council. * * * In Suva the Rt. Rev. J. C. Vockler is enthroned as Bishop in Polynesia, place of Bishop Kempthorne, who tired after 39 years in the post, * * * The Netherlands New Guinea oblem began to build up politically wards a climax long expected by e West and promised by Indonesia -that of a full scale attack by the donesians. Talks began in Washing n between the Netherlands and donesian delegates, with Mr. sworth Bunker acting as third
[Tty.
* ♦ * The Assemblee Territoriale in ew Caledonia was dissolved follow g the refusal of Lenormand’s ajority party to accept the agenda oposed by the High Commissioner, le issue was over whether the New iledonian Government should give e Nickel Company a subsidy in e form of exemption from export ity. New elections were fixed for pril. nn 11 , New elections in New Caledonia put Lenor and’s party back again with an in ease of two seats. The result was garded locally as a heavy defeat for isiness and the French Administra m. * * ♦ A New Guinea Patrol Officer, Otto Ider, was acquitted on a charge of iving unlawfully burned native >uses while on patrol. The case id caused considerable public cem ent in the Territory, especially nong Native Affairs officers who It that regulations did not allow lough latitude for field staff to carry it dangerous work.
Fiji’s Attorney-General, Mr. Ashley Greenwood, said Communist countries were taking a great interest in the South Pacific, and Fiji could not be too complacent. He revealed that a Chinese Communist cell had been discovered in Fiji. * * ♦ America began nuclear testing at Johnston Island. Parties of American scientists were scattered throughout many Pacific islands for the tests.
Western Samoa’s first budget following independence showed a deficit of £260,000 and development expenditure was cut drastically. •fc In New Caledonia the Assemblee Territoriale moved that France be invited to recall Governor Pechoux.
That night a bomb exploded outside a Lenormand party newspaper office and the Government clamped down security measures, banning public assembly for 15 days.
A Mission from the UN Trustee ship Council headed by Sir Hugh Foot visited Nauru and then went on to New Guinea. There was much speculation about the outcome in both territories. * * * Because of a shortage of able bodied males, Pitcairn Island put out a “come home” call to Pitcairn Islanders living abroad. Pitcairn’s population was then 115 with a male work force of only 22.
UAY. Malietoa, one of West Samoa’s two Heads of State, and Miss Teresa Hunter, were Harried quietly near Apia in May.
She is Malietoa’s second wife. * * * At the end of the UN Mission’s iix weeks’ tour of New Guinea, eader Sir Hugh Foot announced that Mission members had been struck 5y the good relations between all jections of the population, but at he same time had found impatience vith “remaining survivals of dis crimination”. * * * The day before Sir Hugh’s state nent, Canberra announced that 3 apua-New Guinea natives would be illowed to drink liquor, and a com nittee would be set up to decide how >est to alter the laws. * * * Captain Kenneth Walker, an American, landed at Brisbane airport ifter the first solo flight across the >outh Pacific from America in a
ingle-engined aircraft.
* * * It was announced that the Japanese vere to take part in a tuna canning ndustry based at Rarotonga, Cook slands. The Japanese would provide »oats and crews to supply the tuna o the cannery, and also train Cook slanders in tuna fishing. * * * Mr. V. J. Andersen arrived in farawa as new Resident Com nissioner for the Gilbert and Ellice slands Colony. He announced that t had been decided the GEIC was o be given “a measure of con titutional advance” and that details vould be announced shortly. * ♦ * More than 600 Indonesian para roopers had landed, in West New juinea, and fighting was going on •etween them and Dutch forces. At ast it was war, unofficially anyway, md on a small scale. The Indo nesians were using aggressive infiltra lon tactics.
There was something of a flurry in South Pacific trade circles over possibilities of a lucrative market for bananas in Japan. Tonga, West Samoa and Fiji were all involved, and Japanese businessmen arrived in force for discussions. Traditionally Islands bananas had always been sold to NZ.
JUNE* ew Guinea it was * announced that Ameri can space tracking stations would be built on Manus and Buka, New Guinea, and might be finished by the end of the year. £ * £ Nauruan Head Chief Hammer DeRoburt in Canberra urged creation of an independent Nauruan nation, governed by the Nauruans but re lated to Australia by a Treaty of Friendship. * * * West Samoa, Fiji and Tonga held joint trade talks for the first time.
The meeting was in Apia and centred around banana export possibilities to Japan. * !*S * Celebrations lasting over several days marked the centenary of Tongan Emancipation—the adopting of a code in 1862 to unify all Tonga.
JULY: It was reported in PIM that some member Gov ernments of the South Pacific Com mission were concerned that should
Indonesia take over sovereignty of West New Guinea from the Dutch, Indonesia might be in a position to ask for membership of the SPC. and thus become a South Seas influence. * * ♦ The Fifth South Pacific Conference met in Pago Pago, American Samoa, with 64 delegates and advisers from 16 Pacific Territories, Tonga and Western Samoa. Behind the scenes proposals were discussed for a re view conference of the Commission to find out where the SPC was headed. * ♦ ♦ American Samoa was putting the finishing touches to the biggest face lift in its history. New roads, build ings and anew international jet air port were completed. * ♦ ♦ Fiji enacted new liquor laws, allow ing “open go” drinking by males of all races. Women would require permits. * ♦ * A 25-man Government-supported New Zealand trade mission was mak ing a big impact in a concerted trade drive in the South Seas. ♦ * ♦ The Cook Islands were promised full internal self-government. An executive committee of the Legisla tive Assembly was formed as a fore runner of Cabinet Government. ♦ * * Antagonistic reaction of the Papuans of West New Guinea to the Indonesian infiltrators was surprising the Indonesians, who had believed they would be accepted as “libera tors”. * * * The Foot Mission to Nauru and New Guinea released its report. The main recommendation in New Guinea was that the Territory should prepare for a Parliament of 100 in 1964, elected on a common roll. There was much criticism of this proposal.
The Foot Mission to Nauru re ported that the island should move quickly towards a Legislative Council.
On the question of anew home for the Nauruans, it said Australia had to take the initiative and give the Nauruans concrete proposals which would establish them on their own island or settle them in a suburb of an Australian city. * * * The secret negotiations in Washing ton between Holland and Indonesia on the future of West New Guinea were entering what was described as “a promising new stage”.
Sir Hugh Foot, leader of the United Nations mission to New Guinea.
AUGUST* Papua-New
4UV3U3I. Guinea abolished snsorship of films shown to the ative people—one of the discrimina uns to which Sir Hugh Foot had tferred after his UN visit in April. * * ♦ The 20th anniversary of the iccessful landing of the US Marines :i the coast of Guadalcanal, BSIP, as celebrated there on August 8. ♦ ♦ * Western Samoa and New Zealand gned a Treaty of Friendship in tpia. * ♦ ♦ Reports from Tahiti said France as planning to establish a missile unching base on Mangareva, in the ambier Archipelago. * * ♦ Holland and Indonesia announced • a surprised world that West ew Guinea would be handed over » the UN on October 1, and the N would hand it over to Indonesia May, 1963. Indonesia would jarantee the Papuans a plebiscite q self-determination in 1969, UN :presentatives remaining until then.
EPTEMBER- Th °usand s tr itmotix. of Dmch ien and their families were leaving fetherlands New Guinea as 350 ;ars of time ran out for the Dutch i that part of the world. Only lout 400 of the 2,400 Dutch public irvants agreed to remain after the N takeover. * * ♦ Nauruan leaders on another visit i Australia were shown several lands off the Queensland coast hich they hoped might be suitable >r anew home for the Nauruan ;ople.
OCTOBER: w and Forsyth was ap- Dinted Secretary-General of the Duth Pacific Commission, to take up is post from March, 1963. ♦ * ♦ The Nauruans decided to suggest ► the Australian Government that icy be given Fraser Island, off ueensland, as their new home. * * * Ten men from the Tongan yacht uaikaepau were rescued from linerva Reef, Fiji, after two ship mates survived an heroic voyage to adavu in a makeshift boat. The icht had been wrecked three months irlier. Five men had died.
The age-old isolation of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony must end, said the Resident Commissioner, Mr.
V. J. Andersen, at a Colony Con ference. The colony had to explore every means of economic develop ment, including tourism, he said. * ♦ * There was concern in New Cale donia over a recession, with most ex ports down. * ♦ ♦ A Select Committee of the Papua- New Guinea Legislative Council proposed that P-NG enlarge its Council in 1964 from 37 members to 65—55 of them to be elected on a common roll. The recommenda tions were approved by the Common wealth Government, and plans were begun to work out the details of the common roll. * ♦ ♦ A bill granting Papua-New Guinea natives of either sex the right to drink liquor of any kind was passed by the Legislative Council following a report by a committee on liquor. * * * The UN flag was flown in West New Guinea as Dutch rule ended on October 1. Indonesia began sending in administration officials to fill the gaps left by the Dutch, all of which could not be filled by the UN. It was announced that the Indonesian flag would officially fly from January
Mr. V. J. Andersen, Resident Commis sioner of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony.
November: F* “
to remove ruty on some luxury items sold in ne Colony, to encourage more spend tig by tourists. * * * The Governor of Fiji, Sir Kenneth Haddocks, announced that the time sad come for Fiji to accept greater iolitical responsibility. He invited ne people to give their views to the ii ler-Secretary of State for the Colonies, who would be visiting Fiji arly in 1963. * * * Papua-New Guinea’s new drink iws came into effect on November Drinkers behaved themselves, J2CEMBER: A new era in telecom nications between Fiji, \'Z, and ustralia began in Decen her when le second link in the tr.ms-Pacific ible project—between Auckland and uva —came into operation. * * * Tupua Tamasese, one of the two test Samoan Heads of State, was *avely ill in Apia—fiehfin,, a. ill ;ss which had kept him in ..cd for lany months.