Tuvaluans lose a 'safety valve'

The Tuvaluans, known before October 1 as the Ellice Islanders, lost a safety valve when they separated from the Gilberts—the opportunity to move further afield when they tired of life at home.

The Queen’s Commissioner in Tuvalu, Mr Tom Layng, warned them of the possible consequences of that loss when he opened the first sitting of the Tuvalu House of Assembly at Funafuti at the end of October.

In modern times, he said, Tuvalu had been a small part of a much larger whole. The able, the energetic, the restless and the misfits had been able to leave their small island homes and seek a degree of escape and anonymity in Tarawa, Ocean or Nauru. All that was now changing, and with separation the world for Tuvaluans would inevitably contract.

Many of the safety valves would be blocked, and that might cause difficulties which the people had to be ready for.

From January 1, when Tuvalu would finally be on its own, horizons would contract, job opportunities would be reduced, there would be much less racial dilution, people would be very much more on top of one another, and there would be greatly increased scope for friction.

Mr Layng reminded the people that before they complained, or criticised, they should remember that nearly all voted for separation. Their vote showed they considered the advantages outweighed the disadvantages.

They should stand by the decision

uncomplainingly; they should be tolerant.

Visitors to Tuvalu, particularly the outer islands, noted the outstanding local pride in doing things well, the staunch team spirit, and the “so very manifest friendliness, goodness and niceness all round .

But . th ere wa s a reverse side of com. Too often those unsuccess ful thetr applications for jobs in Tuvalu had levelled accusations of favouritism or malpractice at the Appointments Board instead of stand mg back and admitting that better men were selected. At one stage, the petty rivalries and jealousies between individuals seemed finely to disrupt seriously the work of forming a new Clv *l , serv^ l e * , , We still see, too often, those dis appointed in their ambitions, com mercial, administrative, scholastic or political, turning sour, revengeful and disruptive, rather than pausing to take a * on B hard look at them selves to see what personal failure or error had been the cause of their lack of success , Mr Layng said, He ur B ec all to try and think of the good side of things and people, P u * aside petty differences, and think first of the national interest, and the good of the people as a whole.

Mr Layng said political mdepen dence meant very little without economic independence. Tuvalu had as^ Britain for a grant-m-aid of 5A840,000 for 1976; of that about $440,000 could be clearly identified

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as being money needed to stock up with what was needed when estab lishing a new capital. The real re current grant-in-aid was about $400,000.

He suggested that the first national aim should be to reduce that figure annually by not less than $lOO,OOO.

If that was achieved, the budget would balance, using local resources, and economic independence could be achieved by 1980.

New sources of revenue would have to be found without delay. A scheme had been launched to raise additional revenue by minting coins for Tuvalu, and by concentrating on the sale of stamps to collectors.

Those schemes were estimated to be worth an additional $250,000 in 1976. Another benefit was the estab lishment of a philatelic bureau in Funafuti which would create 10 new jobs for local people.

As it was unlikely that those sources of revenue would be capable of significant increases in future, the government suggested three possi bilities: • Development of a fishing in dustry; • Development of the copra in dustry; • New crops and small industries.