Stimulating

Fiji Plan For Stimulating Industries

With an avoidance of puh that has been remarkable, new Development Commiss m Fiji, Mr. W. B. Rogers, formulated a series of prai

developmental plans based

strengthening of agricul

activity.

HERE are some outstanding posals: , 9 oconut Production is t< doubled. • Production of cocoa tc £fioo P m" nt ° an industry “ v • Rice production is to be si lated to the point when it may < mate imports—which in amounted to 4,360 tons. • increasing attention to be £ to banana production, to take cai all the overseas markets that cai round and developed. • Organisation of the co-open societies, so as to make internal i ketmg more effective and less w; ful. • Encouragement of produc of local food crops, so as to c with a mounting demand and to duce the cost of living. It has I suggested that the production of tatoes, cotton and cattle should investigated. • Examination of means of i vidmg necessary finances.

In a memorandum circuk among Divisional Commissioners, Development Commissioner propc that the greater use of land, and development of agriculture, sho become the responsibility of the I tnct staffs, working in close operation with such authorities as departments controlling Native Lan Agriculture and Development, and on.

Apparently Mr. Rogers got to gr with his new and important task ea m April, before the departure of 1 Development Commission (Mr. Bevmgton).

It has been indicated, also, that t duties of District staff are to be i organised so that land developme shall become their chief task.

This, naturally, has caused a co siderable stir in the Administrate service. But there is logic behind and it pleases those critics who hi pointed out that the creation of tl

ment of the Development issioner hitherto had seemed to ittle more than the creation of r department.

Rogers’ plan apparently is to' the development of industries on the use of land a primary sibility of as many departments sible. formulation of this plan, with iforting assurances that the De lent Commissioner really is on ?, seems to have been kept out public sight in a remarkable t was only brought out into the after the daily Fiji Times got of what was afoot, and ham at deoartmental doors until the r of silence was broken. newspaper is sharply critical ) aspects of the plan.

Jp to June 21, no details of it— fen in outline —had been given newly-elected Legislative Coun- Part of the plan is the appoint ed “District Development s”; but no provision apparently een made for the inclusion on boards of practical and ex

iced non-official people, who

ally have a much sounder know of the problems of land de ment than the average public it. ; Fiji Times has, quite properly, jd out that the best-laid schemes

levelopmental instrumentalities

be wrecked by petty officials too little knowledge of what s industries succeed, and too capacity for co-operating with te enterprise. , iwever, the indication that the lopment Commissioner really is he job is very good news for whose economic organisation is

! so hard-pressed.

“How to Win Friends , p. 25. J

SE VISIT. Mr. S. Ohta, the [?]e Ambassador in Australia (left), [?]onga's Deputy Premier, Mahe U. [?]ua, in Nukualofa during a recent by Mr. Ohta to the Kingdom.

Photo: Tulua Bros.