Beer Drinkers

There Is New

Hope For Niue

From a Niue correspondent The Niue Island Assembly re cently discussed the possibility of lifting control on the sale of beer on the island. A points system currently operates on Niue, with one point equalling one quart of beer. The Assembly has investi gated decontrol in other Pacific territories and apparently there have been no adverse effects.

Under new legislation a person would still have to have a permit, but he could be able to buy as much beer as he wanted to, or more cor rectly, as he could afford to. Spirits would remain on a points’ system.

The Assembly has recommended that the Liquor Control Authority give early consideration to decontrol, and if this occurs it should be re garded as an experiment to be re viewed after 12 months.

Another recent Assembly proposal was the establishment of a Farming Estates Corporation. A minimum of 500 acres would have to be acquired to be developed into an economic farming unit (for copra, cattle, pigs and miscellaneous crops).

It would take seven years and about a quarter of a million dollars to develop. After seven years it would

be self-supporting.

The idea is that selected high school leavers, with no jobs, should become cadets for three years. There would be an annual intake of 10 boys, to be trained in practical farming methods.

Although the Assembly endorsed the proposal, it may be difficult to get hold of the land—the largest area the Assembly has ever sought to acquire—b eca u s e of Niue’s fragmented land ownership.

The Assembly has also discussed the control of coconuts for sale. It is not in the best interests of copra and export earnings that drinking coconuts be sold in the market, and it is thought by some that their sale should be prohibited.

The question of the banning of sale of coconuts to the public for drinking will be considered again in December.