Now Zealand again

Islands labour can go to Now Zealand again

From a Wellington correspondent The New Zealand Government is to allow Fiji labourers into New Zealand once again to un dertake scrubcutting and other work. The Minister of Labour, Mr. Tom Shand, made the an nouncement in September, and despite protests from New Zea land workers* unions the first group of Fiji men is expected to arrive before the end of the year to start work.

Importation of Fiji labour was banned by Mr. Shand in 1967 when New Zealand was facing serious un employment and the country’s worst economic crisis since the 1930’5.

Mr. Shand said in September that Fiji labourers could again be allowed in because the 1969 registered un employed figures were down two thirds on those of 1968. He said that none of the Fiji people would be taking the job of any New Zea lander, because the Fiji labourers would be required mainly from Sep tember through to February, when New Zealand labourers are employed in other seasonal occupations. But Mr. Shand did say that Fiji labourers might also be employed in other work—land clearing, fruit picking, market gardening and flax cutting.

For some of these jobs there isn’t enough suitable local labour or New Zealanders do not like doing them.

In the past, many North Island farmers have preferred to employ Fiji labourers because they could offer lower wages and get more work done than if they used New Zea land labourers. Fijians also require fewer special amenities.

But with the new scheme the Fiji labourers will be protected to some degree. Where they are em ployed by individuals a responsible organisation—l ik e the Federated Farmers—will supervise the scheme.

And there won’t be free entry as there was prior to 1967. Mr. Shand has set down a number of strict conditions. The Fiji Government’s Department of Labour will select the Fiji men to work in New Zealand, and the New Zealand employers will “sponsor” the workers, paying their air fares to and from New Zealand. The fares and any other

expenses will be deducted from the labourers’ wages by the employers, but Mr. Shand said they should still earn enough to “make their visit profitable”. It has not yet been made clear what rates of pay the Fiji people get.

The New Zealand employers have to insure their Fiji employees against sickness and hospitalisation, and no worker allowed in under the scheme will be permitted to return to New Zealand until a year after his em ployment ends.

It is clear that the new scheme will be strictly controlled. It was introduced mainly because two gov ernment departments—the Lands and Survey Department and the Maori and Islands Affairs Department— found they couldn’t get as many scrubcutters as needed to cut 4,300 acres of scrub in the Gisbome-East Coast area of the North Island.

The national Federation of Labour is to discuss the issue shortly, but it isn’t likely that they will manage to reverse Mr. Shand’s decision.

Search for minerals

on Fiji sea bed

The 60 ft American yacht, Pandora 111, has been chartered for two months by American exploration company, Crawford Marine Special ists, for marine prospecting work around Vanua Levu, Fiji.

The company holds prospecting leases covering 1.2 million acres off the shores of Viti Levu and Vanua Levu and preliminary work off the north, east and south-west coast of Viti Levu was done last year.

Crawford Marine is working in a joint venture with two other US based companies in its exploration for minerals which may have been washed from the main islands of Fiji to lie on the sea bed.

Landowners hope for

copra rebates

News that copra production in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony will total only a dismal 5,500 tons this year won’t inspire copra cutters in the widely-spaced atolls of the territory. But recent moves in the colony’s payments-to-producers system bring hopes that producers will get a bigger slice of the GEIC copra cake.

In April this year the Wholesale Society, the government owned biggest business in the colony, lost its lucrative commission agency for all copra, except from Washington and Fanning Islands. WS, however, still handles stevedoring, loading out and storing, but on a work-performed basis

rather than a flat rate per ton, in cluding commission.

The result of the change could be a saving of $50,000 a year, which could find its way into growers’ hands instead of colony reserves.

About the same time as the WS lost its agency, the copra production bonus scheme, which cost the GEIC Government about $36,000 in rebates in 1967 because of near-record pro duction, was dropped. The scheme featured rebates to Island Councils, not individuals, when certain target production for atolls were exceeded.

It had been criticised because re wards for better outputs of copra were not going into the hands of the growers or copra cutters.

Now, moves are afoot to devise some better systems of “export tax” than the current duty of 20 per cent., payable by the Copra Board to the government, even before the board has received overseas payment for its produce.

Since March 1, 1968, regardless of world copra prices which have had their ups and downs, growers have been paid a small 3i cents per lb for first grade (over 90 per cent, of pro duction) after losing H cents per lb to the government in taxes. From August 18 the board increased this price to 4 cents. Three cents a lb was offered for second-grade copra.

Popular solutions among growers for both the export duty and in

centive rebate systems, would be for export duties to be at least halved and rebates paid to individuals, rather than councils or the colony govern ment. This, of course, would favour big landowners such as Abemama’s acting high chief, and ignore land less copra cutters.

Devising an equitable copra in centive system is almost impossible.

Production is at the weather’s mercy and future output will be affected by the colony’s growing over-popula tion, which every year consumes more coconuts rather than letting the nuts dry for soap, etc.

A bonanza of over 11,000 tons in 1967 was wholly caused by previ ous rains, and in 1968 a drop in pro duction of over 4,000 tons was caused by lack of rains.

This year rains have been good.

Tarawa has collected over 80 inches and some other atolls have over 100 inches. An additional 500 tons (to 6,000 tons) could be produced should the rains’ full effects be felt late this year.

Production will be down in the Line Islands, however. Christmas Island, which usually accounts for over 400 tons, has produced only 40 tons so far because big replanting projects have disrupted growings.

Output from the Burns Philp managed Washington and Fanning Islands will be normal—between 1,400 and 1,800 tons. Last year’s output was 1,800 tons.

Line Islands total, normally around the 2,250 tons mark, will be well under 2,000 tons.

Steamships

goes better

Steamships Trading Company, diversified New Guinea trader, hotelier and planter, reversed its fall ing earning rate for the first time since 1964 when it reported in late September a net profit of $1,312,819 for the year ended June 30, repre senting 17.7 per cent, of paid-up capital of $7.4 million. Earning rate last year was 16 per cent,, the last of steady falls from a 23.8 per cent, rate in 1964. Steamies’ profit was up 10.4 per cent, on last years’ re sult; annual dividend is held at 10 per cent.

Another big Islands firm, Fiji In dustries Ltd., Fiji cement maker, re ported another profit gain in Sep tember. This firm earned $133,412 in 1968-69, an increase of $25,169 on 1967-68 and a wide cover of a 22.8 earning rate for a 14J per cent, unchanged dividend.