Geic Life Under Microscope

As Assembly Meets

From a Tarawa correspondent

Bread and butter issues dominated the August session of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands House of Assembly.

Throughout the session, members fired a wide range of questions at the government—housing, rents, water supplies, air and sea transport, Ocean Island phosphate. North Tabiteuea sour toddy permits, copra. In fact, little covering life in the GEIC did not come under scrutiny in some way or other.

The House narrowly passed a motion to set up a select to review the Constitution. The Chief Minister Mr Naboua Ra.ieta, said the amendments sought were basically to recognise the de facto parties m the assembly. The Sovem ment would also like to see provision for Junior ministers written into constitution. , At nt ministers had ‘o learn their work onMhe jobwhich was an

—e S junior

experienced men from which the Chief Minister could make promotions to cabinet. It might be necessary to make other amendments to the con stitution, depending on the outcome f the re f erendum on the future status th EUice IslandSj expected in October There was some opposition to any suggestion of junior ministers, on the und Q f cost . The need for written prov ision for the party system was a i so questione d. j b e government was defeated when it opposed a motion to increase the number of private members’ days to two a wee k when the House was sit ting s pea kers in favour of the motion sa j d tbe mo ve was necessary as there was not en ough time for members f rom ou tlying areas to get round de partments and ask questions which they d j d no t as k in the House.

By questioning departments they CO uld get answers and then go home and tell the neople what they had done. Mr Ratieta said private mem bers’ day was for all members. To a ffow two days would be to turn the House into a debating club. Private members in the House of Commons had one hour a week and considered themselves lucky, The government was successful in amending a motion that it pay the money required by local government for Queen’s Birthday celebrations. The amendment provides that the govern

ment may make grants. Some mem bers claimed that island councils could not give prizes for Queen’s Birthday sports because they had no money.

Sport was dying out.

Mr Tomu Sione said that in the outer islands people only went to see a “piece of cloth” (the Union flag) and then went home. If no money was provided it was better not to hold celebrations.

During the debate it was urged that the Queen’s Birthday message be sent promptly to outer islands. Once, said a member, a big crowd gathered at Funafuti to hear the message only to be told it had not arrived.

The Deputy Governor, Mr D.

Freegard, replying to a query on the right of the police to search for and seize sour toddy, said that before July 2. 1974, a permit was required on North Tabiteuea to drink or sup ply sour toddy. After that date, it ceased to be an offence to drink or supply it, but it remained an offence under the Liquor Ordinance to offer it for sale.

Mr Tito Teburoro (Tabiteuea North) said it was difficult to under stand why people were not allowed to sell sour toddy when they were allowed to drink it.

Mr Freegard said it was not a matter for the government—it was up to the island council to make by-laws.

The Minister of Commerce and Industry, Mr Sione Tui Kleis, said in answer to a question that the Copra Reserve Fund was not a fund as such, but merely the accumulated capital of the Copra Board. The capital started to accumulate soon after World War II but the board was not established till 1955. At present the working capital was about SH million.

Mr Teburoro was smartly put in his place when he asked if the drop of $7O in the world market would affect the copra reserves. Mr Tm Kleis replied that Mr Teburoro should know as he was a member of the Copra Board. . .

Later in the session the minister said the government intended to direct the Copra Board to re-examine its price stabilisation policy and in part> cular the level of reserves. The reserves should be maintained only at a level necessary for a degree ot price stabilisation. Thus the grower would receive more for his copra when world prices were high.