The Grape Is Blooming

“A loaf of bread, a jug of wine and thou” —Omar Khayam’s “Persia” may be a long way from the Pacific, but Islanders are learning the wisdom of his words. While not competing with the traditional kava (or yaqona), wine has become a very popular drink in a comparatively short time, which is not surprising as Australia, the chief supplier, offers wines which, say the buffs, are the equal, if not better than those from Europe.

Annual sales of Australian wine to the Pacific Islands are now about one million litres. Growth was rapid for several years. In the last year or so there has been a levelling out in con sumption through economic con ditions, which has restricted the number of tourists, who helped to boost sales.

Wine has increased in price, making it a little more difficult to sell in competition with cheaper beverages. Also, France is over supplied with wine, which is being sold at cut prices to clear stocks.

This, however, is a temporary situ ation, and is not causing much alarm among Australian wine producers.

To counter falling sales, retail out lets are offering bulk wines—in flagons and casks—which is cheaper than single bottles. And people are buying more wine by the glass in hotels, restaurants and night spots.

This has had the effect of restricting sales by the bottle.

Australian wines are sold in most countries in the Pacific. An exception is New Caledonia, where the tariff is loaded in favour of French wines. As French wines are in temporary over supply, some top brands are sold very cheaply at present. One example is Bordeaux wines which are cheaper in the Pacific than comparable Aus tralian wines.

But Bordeaux wines are having to fight for their reputation at the moment. Their bouquet was slightly more than tainted a few months ago by the scandal which rocked the wine world when some French vint ners were gaoled for fraudulently passing off cheap “plonk” as the best Bordeaux.

In spite of the twin problems of economic conditions and the over supply of French wines, Australian vintners are confident that with their “very competitive” prices, they can meet almost any competition in the South Pacific.

Australia’s geographical position, with good quality wines and regular shipping services gives her a big ad vantage.

Heavy duties in some areas have made it difficult to sell fortified wines.

This is the deliberate policy of some governments. But any losses in that field are more than offset by a strong demand for table wines.

On a per capita basis, the New Hebrides is the best market in the South Pacific. Most wine is sold in Papua New Guinea, with Fiji next.

Vintners are expecting a fairly rapid increase in sales to the South Pacific market, not in the immediate future, but in 1977 and 1978.

Dole comes to

New Caledonia

Unemployment benefits are now available to those in New Caledonia who have lost their jobs under the current economic recession.

After some bitter debate in the Territorial Assembly over whether non-Caledonians, particularly recent arrivals from metropolitan France, should be eligible for benefits, the

scheme is now operating. Benefits are available to workers who have been registered as employees for at least a year with the social service authori ties (CAFAT) to whom employers pay a payroll tax of about 25 per cent.

In addition, the worker must have been employed fulltime, or specified hours for dock workers, during the six months preceding his request for payments and he must be under 60 years of age. The unemployment benefits may then be paid according to a diminishing scale beginning at a maximum of 50 per cent of the daily basic salary, and continuing for a period of up to six months.

Bad time for

The Americana

The Americana Hotel is again going through one of its bad periods.

American Airlines, which has been managing the hotel since May 15, 1973, has cancelled its 10-year con tract with the American Samoa De velopment Corporation for the management of the hotel.

Reason for cancellation of the con tract was, in the words of the last American Airline manager for the hotel, Hank Schainck, “breach of contract”.

American Airlines gave the ASDC 90 davs notice on May 27 and by midnight, August 31 of this year, it had officially ceased to manage the hotel.

While American Airlines was leav ing, ASDC sent in its own men, headed by its secretary Holden Olsen, who is now acting-general manager.

Announced Olsen: “We are not considering any major changes. We have retained all the staff left behind by American Airlines, and the pro cedures will remain the same.”

Olsen, who is also chairman of the American Samoan Development Bank, said there is no rush to find a new group to manage the hotel, still named the Americana. “Right now, we will run the hotel ourselves.

This may last as long as two, six or even 12 months”.

What constituted “breach of con tract” complained of by American Airlines has been well hidden. But, according to one source, it amounts to the fact that the ASDC is behind in its payments for services rendered to American Airlines by about $150,000.

If this is true, then it means American Airlines is losing money by continuing to run the hotel for

Asdc.

It is hard to believe that a hotel that charges high prices for its rooms,

alcoholic beverages, food and other services can still continue to operate at a loss.

Probably the answer has been, as the former director of Tourism Faivae Galeai said, the lack of tour ists coming to American Samoa.

The Intercontinental had 98 rooms.

When it was renamed Americana Hotel, a new block of 90 rooms was added. It seems that the occupancy rate is not high and this explains the failure of the territory’s major hotel Why the occupancy rate is nol high is partly due to American Samoa having second-rate tourism machinery. The Office of Tourism i: weak, resulting recently in a shake down, subtle pressure exerted on the Director of Tourism to resign, am the establishment of a Visitor Con trol Board.

Faivae Galeai blames the govern ment for the present low in tourism claiming that the government is no giving the money needed to promote tourism.

To that the government will prob ably reply, “We are having a bac time ourselves”.

Television for

the Loyalties

Plans underway to extend coverage in New Caledonia are ex pected to take programmes as far a the offshore islands by Christmas Other parts of the mainland, in th north, will not be so lucky and can not expect to receive TV until mid 1976.

The Noumea television station wa opened in late 1965 and, due to th central mountain chain extending th whole length of the mainland, it ha been necessary to build an intricat system of transmission posts.

The extension of Tele-Noumea t( the Loyalty Islands of Lifou, Ouve; and Mare will be an important nev step. The Melanesians living in thes< islands, the last stronghold of th autonomy movement, will thus in evitably be drawn under the close influence of the administration ii Noumea and Paris. Like Radi< Noumea, the television is a stat monopoly under direct governmen control.

The distant territory of Wallis am Futuna is also to benefit from im proved radio transmission fron Noumea. Until now these islander; could only receive French broadcast; by short wave, but new installation; are planned to enable reception or medium wave.

A further step is to have TV news items transmitted to Noumea by satellite from April, 1976.