Fiji Match Factory's Flame

Is Burning More Brightly

Fiji’s recently established match factory Pacific Manufacturers Ltd.—is now operating smoothly after some early problems. It meets all local demand for its products and is even tciking stock of possible new export outlets in the British Solomons, Samoa and Tonga.

THIS is a different story from that of a few months ago, when the company had difficulty in keeping the flame burning throughout the Fiji Group.

The company has as its managing director Mr. R. A. Emery, a former Comptroller of Customs. With him on the board are two former MFC’s in Messrs. H. B. Gibson and B. D.

Lakshman, a current MFC, Mr. A.

I N Deoki and Mr. Hanif Akbar, who is sales director.

The company is providing a substantial amount of local employment, and, says Mr. Emery, uses a bigger percentage of local materials than any other industry in Fiji.

Current production is about 400 gross a day, compared with Fiji’s daily requirement of 370 gross. At

the request of the Government the company holds in reserve 12,000 gross.

Mr. Emery said recently that before exports could be arranged costs would have to be reduced, and this would not be for a month or two until new machinery was installed and the factory was operating at peak efficiency.

Mr. Emery said recently that before exports could be arranged costs would have to be reduced. This would not be until new machinery was installed and the factory was operating at peak efficiency. .

“We are still up against a few problems, but we are finding the answer and ironing out the faults,”

Mr. Emery said.

The entire staff, except a Japanese

technician, can be classed as “local”.

Mr. Emery himself, and Mr. Gibson, are from overseas, but they have been in Fiji so long they consider themselves “locals”.

The Japanese technician will leave Fiji when sufficient local people are trained on the technical side.

“We are finding out that local people are learning very quickly and they are doing very well,” Mr. Emery said.

The boxes are made from Fiji kauvula, and when imported splints run out they will be replaced by kauvula. Materials for the match heads are imported because they are not available in Fiji.

The industry is protected by law.

When the company started manu facturing, the Government increased the duty on imported matches so

These pictures, taken by Rob Wright, show three stages of production in Fiji's match factory.

Left: Special trays holding splints of kauvula timber are conveyed beneath rubber rollers which add chemical heads to the match sticks. These are then placed in drying racks.

Centre: Packing the finished product into packets of 12 boxes.

Right: The matches ready for the market.

The labels of all boxes carry a coloured picture of a Fijian girl. She is Tolini Chang, an employee of the factory, who is shown holding one of the boxes.

that they would retail at 2d a box, against the local price of lid. That did not seem to have the desired effect, so last December the Gov ernment again raised the protective barrier, this time to force up the sale of imported matches to 4d a box.

Couldn't Supply Fiji

The company was called on to give an undertaking that it could supply all the Colony’s requirements, but inadequate machinery, plus a break down or two, put production behind schedule, and local demand could not be met.

The Government had to do some thing about it. The Legislative Council was not in session so it could not reduce the tariff on im ported matches. The only way out was a refund of duty, and even this could not be done immediately. Re funds have to be approved by the Standing Finance Committee (un official members of the Legislative Council with the Financial Sec retary as chairman), and this com mittee meets about once a month.

At several meetings earlier this year the SFC found on its agenda items dealing with the refund of duty on match imports. These refunds were all approved.

In the meantime, Pacific Manu facturers, under the direction of Messrs. Emery and Akbar, were putting their house in order, with the present results.