pacific report

Bougainville

Trebles Profit

Bougainville Copper Ltd lifted earnings by more than 177 per cent in the six months to June 30. Higher gold prices and increased production coupled with lower net financing and operating costs resulting from the fall in oil prices and the collapse of the Australian dollar brought about an improved profit from A513.42m in the corresponding period last year to this year’s A 537.18 milliion.

Announcing an interim dividend of about 10c a share, the directors said bullion prices had risen from an average US$3lO per ounce in the first half of 1985 to US$343. They predicted a continuation of these conditions, though political uncertainties could lift prices further. Copper prices fell to an average U 5564.5 cents per pound compared with 65 cents in the first half of last year.

This represented the lowest price in real terms since the the 30s.

Equality For

School Children

The three government-run high schools in Western Samoa Samoa College, Avele and Vaipouli will have sixth form students only from 1990 under a new policy announced by education minister, Le Mamea Ropati. The minister told parliament that the three schools will drop their form three classes, cutting out forms four and five over the following two years. The current discriminatory prac tice of allowing European or part Euro pean children to start school at five years while Samoans must wait a further six months, will be abolished. The selection of form two students for the high schools will also cease. Selection for entry to the sixth form schools will take place in the fifth form.

Japanese Lead

In Vehicle Sales

Japanese vehicle manufacturer, Toyota, led the Papua New Guinea vehicle market in the first half of this year, selling 1093 new vehicles out of a total of 3301, representing a 33 per cent market share.

Next was the Nissan-Datsun range (18.5 per cent), Mitsubishi (12.4 per cent) and Isuzu (8 per cent). Mazda led in the passenger vehicles section with 25.5 per cent. Toyota was second (18 per cent ),Nissan-Datsun (15.8 per cent), Suzuki (15.3 per cent) and Mitsubishi (12.9 per cent) followed. Toyota also headed the commercial vehicle section with 38 per cent. As the Australian dollar continued weak, however, Australian car makers may make some inroads.

Fishing Company

Reduces Losses

The Ika Fishing Corporation of Fiji, a government statutory authority which began operations in 1975, has reported an improvement in performance for the year ending June 30. Its losses were the lowest for seven years. General mana ger, Captain John Harrison said the corporation had expected to make a profit, but poor catches in May reversed the position. The current fishing season had been extended by two months because of improved catches and better prices offered by the buyer, Pacific Fishing Company, of Levuka.

Runway To

Be Extended

Work was due to be completed this month on runway extensions at Hender son Airport in Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands. International aircraft will now be able to land on the new sections co vering 1100 metres. The $6.5 million project is financed by Kuwait Funding and the contractor is Dongsan Construc tion of South Korea.

Us May Back

Nuclear Treaty

The chairman of. the US Senate foreign relations committee, Senator Richard Lugar, said he expected President Reagan would support the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone treaty. Sen Lugar said the United States would sign the protocols attached to the treaty because it appeared to be compatible with US foreign policy. His comments came less

than 24 hours after a senior Soviet foreign relations official, Mr Mikhail Kapitsa confirmed in Wellington that the Soviet Union would also sign the pro tocols as soon as the treaty was ratified by more Pacific countries. The protocols ban the use, manufacture, stationing and testing of nuclear weapons in the region.

Sln To Reduce

Nickel Output

Major New Caledonia nickel producer, Societe Le Nickel is to cut production for the rest of the year because of a world market glut. SLN manager, Mr Paul Bliek said in Noumea that the company was limiting output as its part in efforts to help nurse the industry back to health. He said the company would reduce its 1986 output target of 44,000 tonnes by up to 2,000 tonnes. The production cut was expected to lead to reductions in bene fits for the company’s 2,300 staff more than six per cent of New Caledonia’s total workforce. The territory is the world’s third largest nickel producer after Canada and the Soviet Union.

Forum Told Of

Uranium Plan

Members of the South Pacific Forum were told in advance of Australia’s decision to lift the ban on uranium sales to France, said Australian foreign minis ter, Mr Bill Hayden. He said they were told of the measure at the Suva forum meeting ten days before it was announced in the Australian Budget. He said that they had had ample time to protest against the decision in that period but had not done so. PNG foreign minister, Legu Vagi who had attended the forum said after the decision was publicly announced that his country was “disappointed.” He added: “It further confirms Papua New Guinea’s misgiv ings about the shortcomings of the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty.”

Chiefs Want To

Bring Back Courts

Fiji’s Great Council of Chiefs the supreme body overseeing the interests of the Fijian community has approved the re-introduction of the Fijian court system. This would mean that Fijians could be tried for minor offences by a village magistrate. Each of the four administrative divisions will have a Fijian magistrate. The move is part of an overhaul of the Fijian administration recommended by Mr Rodney Cole of the Australian National University.

OPM activist James Nyaro: Still held in Port Moresby’s Bomana jail.

Opm Rebels

Kept Silent

Four Irian Jayan independence move ment leaders left Port Moresby’s Boma na jail after nine months on the first leg of a journey to Ghana. PNG foreign minis ter, Legu Vagi, banned journalists from speaking to the four, who will later travel on to a Scandinavian country. The four were Gerard Tommy, Ries Wader, David Timka and Donald Derey. They had crossed the border into PNG last year seeking refugee status. PNG agreed to help find a host country. With them on the border crossing and in Bomana jail was self-styled OPM leader James Nyaro who was to have joined the Ghana-bound group but withdrew on health grounds.

Star Wars Role

For Kwajalein

The United States plans to build a US$l.3 million complex on Kwajalein atoll next year as part of President Reagan’s Strategic Defence Initiative (SDI) often referred to as Star Wars according to data sent to the US Congress. The complex would be used to launch targets for missiles known as Braduskill interceptors which are de signed to hit enemy warheads in space during their journey towards the United States.

Hawke Accused

On Aid Cut

Papua New Guinea has accused the Australian government of breaching a memorandum of understanding be tween the two countries concerning Australian aid. The complaint was con tained in letter from PNG prime minister, Mr Paias Wingti, to his Canberra coun terpart, Mr Bob Hawke. The letter said there should have been consultation before the Australian decision to reduce aid by Aslo million was announced. PNG’s finance minister Sir Julius Chan told parliament that this had not been done and that the country was disappointed. He said Australia had not done the right thing by not informing PNG before cutting its aid.

Cash Grant

For Causeway

Japan has given Kiribati a grant of Asl.3 million for the second stage of a project involving the building of a causeway and navigation channel. The grant was announced in Suva after an exchange of notes by the Japanese ambassador to Fiji, Mr Kukuo Yoshida and the Kiribati communications minister, Mr Taomati luta. The money will be used to pave a 400-metre causeway between Betio is land, the country’s commercial centre, and Bairiki island, the administrative centre of the capital, Tarawa. Some of the money will be used to buy a

navigational marker for the fisheries channel. The first stage of the project, costing about As 4 million involved the building of the causeway and a navigational channel.

New Tuna Boats

On Order

Solomon Islands government has or dered two new tuna fishing boats from an Australian shipbuilder in what is thought to be the largest contract ever entered into by the government. The order is for two 57-metre purse-seiners at a cost of about As 9 million each. Each boat is twice as large as the govern ment’s National Development Corpora tion’s only operating purse-seiner.

Radio Australia

Budget Review

The management of Radio Australia is conducting a major review of operations, following large cuts in the organisation’s budget. The controller, Mr Peter Barnett, said there was a strong possibility of restrictions on the current output. In an austere Budget handed down by Austra lian treasurer, Mr Paul Keating, Radio Australia’s parent, the Australian Broad casting Corporation, had its operating budget reduced by more than Aslo million.

Japanese Tourists

The Big Spenders

Japanese tourists are the biggest spen ding visitors to Fiji, according to the Fiji Visitors Bureau. The average Japanese tourist, it said, spends at least Asloo a day. The bureau general manager, Mr Malalai Gucake, said of the other major national groups, Australians average $6O per day, the Americans $53 and the New Zealanders $49. In the first half of this year, American tourists increased by 47 per cent to just over 31,000. There were smaller increases in the numbers of Canadian, British and New Zealand tourists while arrivals from Australia declined slightly.

Us Optimistic

On Tuna Deal

The United States is optimistic on reaching agreement on a tuna access agreement with Pacific island nations before the end of this year. US State Department spokesman, Mr Charles Redman, said Washington would wel come an agreement because of Soviet moves to conclude fishery agreements in the region. Nine rounds of talks spanning two years ended in the Cook Islands in August without success. A further round is due in Tonga this month.

Some influential officials told PIM at the South Pacific Forum in Suva that they were now more hopeful of an agreement this year. (September PIM, P2l).

Fishermen Drift

For 88 Days

Three Kiribati fishermen who drifted 700 kilometres in an open boat over 88 days were reunited with their families. The men disappeared on April 4 when the outboard motor on their plywood boat broke down. They were found by a Nauruan fisherman off Nauru. They sur vived the ordeal by collecting rainwater in their waterproof jackets and by catch ing fish to eat.

Forum Line Sees

Slump In Profit

The Pacific Forum shipping line expects a 50 per cent reduction in profit this year, the chairman, Mr Dan Tufui, said in Suva, He said the line expected a profit of about AsBoo,ooo, although the final figure could be higher. He told a meeting of representatives of the ten Pacific governments which own the line that a larger vessel to replace the "Forum New Zealand” was expected next February.

Crown Land

Handed Over

Fiji’s deputy prime minister, Ratu David Toganivalu, said it was unlikely that any more crown land would be re-classified as native reserves. His statement fol lowed a row over the transfer of some 4,000 hectares of crown land into native reserves. The move was criticised by the opposition National Federal Party and the Labour Party which claimed it was a device to win Fijian votes in next year’s general election. Ratu David assured the country, however, that the government approach to land matters would con tinue to reflect the multi-racial policy of the ruling Alliance Party. He said the land in question rightly belonged to native landowners and it could be argued that the crown held it merely in trust.

Public Servants

Must Re-Apply

The Solomon Islands government dis missed senior public servants and advertised their positions as part of a campaign to improve government ad ministration. A government announce ment said that all new appointments would be on a three-year contract basis.

Among those dismissed were all perma nent secretaries of ministries. All can re-apply for their jobs, although the public service ministry said there could be no guarantees that all would be re-employed in their previous positions.

The government hopes to trim the size of the bureaucracy at senior levels. Other measures included the abolition of all vacancies, suspension of officials taking leave without pay, reductions in the sizes of some ministries and a call for volunt ary retirements.