Outspoken Attack

On Lack Of Govt.

Aid To GEIC

[ From a Special Correspondent ’he “most urgent export” of Gilbert and Ellice Islands Dny is people, and Austral! ;t do her share in taking some hem, according to Mr. E. H Blacklock, an unofficial mem of the GEIC Advisory ncil.

R. BLACKLOCK, a plain speaking citizen, expressed his at the second meeting of the ncil recently, during discussion on Colony’s population trends, e said it was obvious that the my’s population must be re ed, as some islands in the group i remote and costly to service, sly overcrowded and unproduc le working out of the Ocean id phosphate deposits would tually make the problem more t for the labour force. [r. Blacklock said he felt the lem was too big and urgent to ured by the emigration of small ps under private and unco lated arrangements. These had value but the problem could be solved by planned, long-term rammes. hen a country was trying to at population it did all it could to e itself attractive to and to assist icially the people it was trying to 1 to itself. b believed the Colony should do same, only in reverse—since it trying to make it attractive for ie to go rather than to come.

Colony needed a publicity cam 1, among other things, to make ration popular. r. Blacklock said that, initially, British Solomon Islands might be d on to take as many people as ible. but whether or not efforts Id be limited to the BSIP was tier question.

Lion's Share of Benefit ost people, he said, were aware he “miserable” White Australia :y, but he did not think the y should prevent Australia being oached in this matter, istralia in particular had had the s share of the benefit of the

monopoly of phosphates from Ocean Island. It looked as if it would con tinue to enjoy the lion’s share for the next 20 years or so.

“What will happen then?” asked Mr. Blacklock. “Will they just brush off the remains of the phosphate dust and say goodbye? Or will Australia recognise that it has some responsi bility towards the people of this Colony?”

He said they were large questions but they should be dealt with vigor

msly, for in their solution lay the Colony’s real hope for the future.

Mr. Blacklock invited his fellow nembers to consider what benefit Britain and the Commonwealth ch ained from the Colony and then »mpare it with what money Britain nit into the Colony.

Some people might hold that what yas taken out of the Colony was very ittle, he said, but there were, in act, two items of outstanding value. . . Ocean Island phosphate and the ise of Christmas Island (for A-tests).

He said by an agreement which ome would maintain had long out ived its time, Britain, Australia and 4ew Zealand had effectively removed rom the Colony’s control its most r aluable economic asset and were ble to monopolise the fast-diminish ag deposits of Ocean Island phos hate.

The deposits were of high grade, uperior to that obtainable anywhere a the world.

It was not possible to place a value m the monopoly but it would be sur dsing if those concerned were not repared to pay a further £250,000 nnually rather than lose it.

Monopoly Value

Mr. Blacklock said that when dis ussing UK Treasury grants to the IEIC, this monopoly value should e borne in mind.

The Ministry of Aviation paid the Colony “the princely sum” of £5OO year for the use of Christmas sland (which is part of the Colony).

Again it was hard to estimate the •ue value, but presumably Britain sed Christmas Island because it auldn’t find any other place so con enient, and on this reasoning it lould be worth more than £5OO.

Mr. Blacklock said the GEIC re lived something less than £250,000 year in grants, yet in 1963 the •ook Islands (NZ territory to the )uth) had been given more than £1 lillion.

Although this was four times what le GEIC got, the Cook Islands were smaller territory. The Cooks popu- Ltion was probably about 19,000, jmpared with 50,000 in the GEIC.

Mr. Blacklock added that on these gures the Cook Islands got help at le rate of £A52.62 per capita, com ared with £A4.32 for the GEIC. In ther words, NZ was giving aid to le Cooks at a rate 12 times greater lan that given by Britain to the

Eic.

Footnote: Since Mr. Blacklock •oke, Britain has decided to close 5 A-test base at Christmas Island.