Colonial Office Surveys
pp. 12-13 · Read in the full issue
The South Seas
By a Staff Writer
No British official visitor in history—as far as our records go —ever has made as thorough an inspection of Britain’s South Pacific Territories as Mr. J. E.
Marnham, CMG, head of the Pacific Islands Section of the Colonial Office.
MR. MARNHAM arrived in the South Seas in January with Mr.
Nigel Fisher (Under-Secretary for the Colonies) and Mr. Fisher and Mr, Marnham together visited Solo mon Islands, New Hebrides and Fiji.
In January-February, after Mr.
Fisher returned to London, Mr.
Marnham made a thorough examina tion of conditions in Fiji, Tonga, and Gilbert and Ellice Islands. After a call at Noumea (headquarters of the South Pacific Commission) Mr.
Marnham visited Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Wellington, and Washing ton, on his way home.
In Australia, New Zealand and Washington Mr. Marnham had talks with people and institutions connected with the South Pacific Islands—such as the CSR Company, Burns Philp & Co. Ltd. and W. R. Carpenter & Co. Ltd.; the head of the Department of External Affairs in Canberra; Mr.
W. D. Forsyth, the newly-appointed Secretary-General of the South Pacific Commission; the head of the Islands Territories Department in New Zea land; and the principal men of the United Nations Trusteeship Council, in Washington.
The indications are that this visit by Messrs. Nigel Fisher and Marn ham will have definite results.
Mr. Marnham is not exactly a talkative man, so those who saw him got little indication of what Colonial Office may do; but he is a very good listener, and his comments on occa sion can be illuminating.
Strong representations were made in Fiji on behalf of both the Fijian and the Indian communities. A sum mary of Fijian arguments is published on p. 15.
Conference in London A confident, but quite unoc forecast is that the Colonial « will invite a number of repres; lives of each of the racial conn ties in Fiji to proceed to LondJ the public expense; that these will sit in conference in some; able place—Lancaster House, fo ample—and that, under the dency of an experienced Cox Office official, they will be givenc and encouragement to put into a new governmental organisatioc submission to the Colonial Offif the future administration syste; Fiji, It may be taken as certain thr attempt will be made to remove from British control, no matter] large a degree of self-govern may be introduced.
It is possible that steps wii taken to induce Australia to aco larger share in Britain’s response for the welfare of Fiji, seeing tH large a proportion of Fiji’s ecoc is owned by Australian corporal Future of Archipelagoes It was apparent that bothi Fisher and Mr. Marnham gave of thought to the future of the; Hebrides Condominium.
The Condomium was introduo a “stop-gap” some sixty years < but no student of New Hebridese ditions seems to have been abd provide an alternative to this.
Meanwhile, the New Hebridi growing up. It is quite a rich ; pelago, within a few hundred of the Australian coast. The and industrial potential is there- Japanese capital now is entering group, at an increasing rate.
In an administrative sense, o tions within the New Hebrides efficient and harmonious. Prott the decision of the French and K 3 will be to try to continue the dominium, indefinitely.
Colonial Office responsibilities tached to the Colonial Office, bye that are aged and worn but still ing, are the Solomons and the Gf and Ellice. The over-populated of the GEIC seem to have
nomic future: Britain’s one ambi i, apparently, is to keep them self porting.
'he Solomons, where there now over 100,000 people, have a much jer potential. Big-scale develop it is possible; but there can be no glopment without capital, here are indications that the lap se are developing a lively interest nvestment in the Solomons besides New Hebrides. he official attitude of Britain and nee towards these things has not i indicated. But the future of the lipelagoes is a matter of great rest to Australia.
Tarawa Talks i Tarawa, GEIC, a deputation esenting all sections of the com lity had a lively discussion with Marnham, emphasising they led the GEIC to retain a strong with Britain. They said consti mal developments should be slow he villagers could keep pace. Bet transport, including better outside 5, were given high priority by kers. It was also suggested that independent survey should be n of Ocean Island to plan better re development of the phosphate istry. [r. Marnham replied that the UK 1 no intention of forcing consti mal development” in the GEIC. pace would depend on the Terri ’s needs. i the House of Commons in Feb y, a Conservative member, Mr.
P. Channon, apparently annoyed >wing France’s rupture of the imon Market talks, asked that an be made to the New Hebrides dominium. r. Nigel Fisher replied “it was the intention” of the British Gov ient to put an end to the Con inium. [ie story was given prominence in mea newspapers, where a corres lent reported, “Of course, nothing Id please the French more than tin’s withdrawal from the New rides.”