Trade Winds

□ Union Overhaul

PAPUA NEW Guinea’s Trade Union Congress (TUC) has called for better-ed ucated union leaders and a more informed work force. The general secretary of the TUC, Mr Lawrence Titimur, said these were necessary if the union movement is to make a real contribution to PNG’s eco nomic development.

Mr Titimur said the country’s growth in the past had been adversely affected by uneducated union leaders and a lack of understanding by ordinary workers of normal industrial relations practices.

He said the TUC worker education program due to start later this year would help rectify this. The program, funded by the International Labour Organisation, will cost about $A700,000.

□ Chan’S Investment Plea

PNG’S Trade and Industry Minister Sir Julius Chan has told a group of Singapore journalists that Papua New Guinea would welcome long-term investment from their businessmen.

Sir Julius said long-term investment from Singapore, tied to the development of natural resources in PNG, would also

allow the country to benefit from the transfer of Singaporean knowledge and experience.

At present Singapore’s investment in Papua New Guinea is directed at whole saling and trading, leaving the country with very little benefit from profits.

□ Suharto’S Economic Advice

INDONESIA’S PRESIDENT Suharto has urged Pacific countries to boost employ ment and harness technological change.

He was opening the 44 th session of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ES CAP) in Jakarta.

Mr Suharto called on countries to make better use of their most abundant resource people. He told delegates from 47 na tions that to increase employment and re duce poverty would require improved education and training.

□ Fiji’S Reserves Grow

FIJI’S RESERVES have grown to SFI6S million, sufficient to finance nearly six and a half months of imports. The latest Re serve Bank figures show an increase of about SFBO million since last November.

The total reserves were SF27 million more than at the time of the first coup last May. However, since that time, Fiji has devalued by 33 per cent.

The Bank also says that demand for credit is still depressed, despite moves by the interim civilian Government to en courage investment.

□ Old Ways Under Fire

A CALL for changes to certain aspects of Fijian culture and tradition to allow Fiji ans to develop successful commercial ventures has been made by Fiji’s Minister for Trade and Energy, Mr Vunibobo. But he warned that Fijian businesses could not expect to enjoy full Government protec tion indefinitely.

He said some marriage obligations and other traditional duties were preventing Fijians developing efficient commercial and industrial undertakings. Mr Vuni bobo said, however, that any changes to tradition and culture could only be ef fected by persuasion and discussion rather than through legislation and regulation. He urged the Ministry of Education to intro duce business studies in the school curriculum. I

□ Fiji Garment Export Increase

FIJI’S GARMENT exports in 1988 will be worth about SFI2 million, more than 35 per cent more than last year. Trade and Commerce Minister Vunibobo claims fu ture prospects look even brighter and the figure could double in 1989.

The improved figures follow New Zea land’s removal of import restrictions and better entry conditions in the United States.

□ Png Timber Giant Expands

A LOCALLY OWNED timber company has been issued with a permit to carry out operations in a 24,000 hectare forest area in PNG’S North Solomons province. The North-West Bougainville Development Corporation has been operating since 1986 under an interim arrangement approved by then Forest Minister Mr Ted Diro.

Provincial Forest Officer Mr Elvit Re mas says the permit was issued to the company by the Provincial Forest Minis ter, Mr Aloysius Nake, on behalf of his na tional counterpart on April 7. The permit is for 10 years.

The company has made nearly K 1 mil lion from timber and other spin-off in dustries since commencing operations about 18 months ago.

□ Japan Aids Vanuatu

JAPAN WILL give Vanuatu about SAI million to help restore land damaged in Cyclone Uma. The Agricultural Land Clearance project to be funded by the grant will restore to full production land wrecked by Cyclone Uma in February last year. It will purchase equipment such as trucks and chainsaws.

□ Uk’S Island Education Grant

The British Government Has An

nounced grants totalling about $A2.2 mil lion for education and job training in Fiji, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Tuvalu, Kiri bati and Tonga. The grants will fund re gional scholarships and in-service training

in Britain this year. Under this year’s scholarships program, some 200 students from Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Tuvalu and Kiribati are undertaking courses at regional institutions.

□ Sydney Fiji Trade Display Plan

AN AUSTRALIAN businessman plans to open a trade centre in Sydney to display Fiji products. Mr Terry Magee, an inves tor and consultant from Perth who has been in Fiji for about six months, said he was looking at eight alternative sites for the centre in downtown Sydney.

He was also drawing up a prospectus that would be distributed to Fiji exporters and potential exporters, inviting them to join the project.

□ Wingti Warns Landowners

PNG PRIME MINISTER Paias Wingti has warned owners of the land on which the big Ok Tedi gold mine is established to expect tough action if there are any at tempts to stop the mine operating.

Mr Wingti gave the warning after re ports that frustrated landowners, who closed the mine for a period about a month ago, had threatened similar action if the Government and the company did not meet their demands within two weeks.

The Prime Minister said police would deal with any violence or illegal activities that endangered lives and property in the mine area. He called on leaders of the landowners to stay calm while their de mands were being considered by the authorities.

□ Chambers Of Commerce Meet

THE EXECUTIVE committee of the Pa cific Islands Association of Chambers of Commerce met in Suva to draw up a work program for the next two years.

The program will be funded by a grant of nearly SF2 million announced earlier this month by the European Economic Community.

Vice-chairman of the executive com mittee Mr Kenneth Walters said the com mittee will also draw up terms and conditions for an executive officer to be employed by the association.

Mr Walters said the overall aim is to improve national Chambers of Com merce in the 15-member nations to a level where they can make worthwhile contri butions to their countries.

□ Saving Png’S Copra

PNG’S COPRA producers could soon have another sales outlet. A joint study carried out by the PNG Government and the EEC has recommended the establish

ment of a plant to produce activated car bon from coconut shells. Papua New Guinea imports activated carbon worth about K 2 million per year. It is used for gold processing and the separation of minerals.

The Minister for Trade and Industry, Sir Julius Chan, has welcomed the report and says he is hoping a Sri Lankan com pany will join with the Government in building a factory to manufacture acti vated carbon at an estimated cost of about K 2 million.

Papua New Guinea’s copra industry has been badly hit by declining world prices for the product.

□ War On Pacific Pests

WAR HAS been declared on pests and diseases affecting crops in the South Pa cific. The battle plan is being prepared by the South Pacific Commission with SAI million coming from the United Nations Development Program.

A UN statement said serious pest and disease outbreaks were increasing in the South Pacific. They included taro beetles in Fiji, a leucaena pest and white-fly in most Pacific island nations, and a virus like pathogen threatening oil palms and coconuts in Solomon Islands.

□ New Png Liquor Licence Laws

IN PORT Moresby, retail liquor licences of foreign-owned companies have been withdrawn in a move to localise all retail sales of liquor in the city. Foreign-owned companies will have their licences re voked within three months to allow them to sell existing liquor stocks.

The Port Moresby city authorities and the National Capital District Interim Commission felt that the business of re tailing liquor sales did not require foreign expertise or a formal education to carry out successfully.

The commission felt it was only fair for liquor trading to be localised and re stricted to PNG nationals.

□ Fiji Regent Resort Sold

THE REGENT of Fiji has been bought by a Japanese firm, Electrical Industrial En terprises. The seller was a Honolulu part nership, Associates Four. No price was disclosed, but unofficial reports put it at SA6O million.

There will be a major facelift for the re sort hotel, which opened in 1975 at Den arau, seven kilometres from Nadi. The improvements, to commence almost im mediately, will include an 18-hole golf course and a new marina facility. A vari ety of shops, restaurants and landscaped areas is also on the drawing-board.

The statement said the construction projects would generate 700 jobs; a major boost for Fiji, which has suffered rising unemployment and an economic slump since the two military coups last year.

□ Eec To Fund Island Projects

THE EEC is to provide a total of $ A 16.3 million for three development projects in the South Pacific. An official communique issued after a two-day conference in Western Samoa said the three programs included agricultural and telecommunications projects. Assistance will also be provided to the Pacific Islands Association of Chambers of Commerce.

The meeting, in Apia, was between eight Pacific countries and a delegation from the European Commission headed by its vice-president, Mr Lorenzo Natali, A five-year regional agricultural program includes a series of food crop pilot projects and the establishment of a small permanent secretariat in Apia.

The telecommunications plan calls for satellite earth stations to be built in Apia and Kiritimati in Kiribati, and ship-toshore maritime radio stations in Tonga and Solomon Islands.

□ Nz Oil Find

NEW ZEALAND has made a major new oil discovery in the western North Island

province of Taranaki the second major oil discovery in the area this year.

Energy Minister Mr David Butcher says the first estimate of the field’s contents suggest it contains at least 40 million bar rels of oil, worth nearly SUS3OO million.

The find is of major importance, as the Government is thinking of selling its in terests in the Taranaki oilfields. The latest find could mean New Zealand will not have to import oil for some years.

□ Png’S First Cement Factory

PAPUA NEW Guinea’s first cement fac tory is to be built at Manetai in the North Solomons Province. The Minister for Trade and Industry, Sir Julius Chan, says developers of the factory, the Bougainville Development Corporation and a Euro pean Community group, are finalising the establishment of the factory.

Sir Julius says the KlB million factory will be capable of producing 80,000 tonnes of concrete a year.

The Bougainville Development Cor poration will own 78 per cent of the share in the factory and the European Com munity group the remaining 22 per cent.

□ Kiribati/Tuvalu Fishing Boost

JAPAN HAS granted a total of almost $A3.5 million to help Kiribati and Tuvalu develop their fishing industries. Just over

SA2 million has been granted by Japan to Kiribati and will enable the capacity of a fish cold storage plant on Betio island to be doubled to 200 tonnes, The project is aimed at enhancing the quality of fish handled by the cold store and to improve fishing operations generally.

Japan has also granted just over $A 1.25 million to Tuvalu for a number of projects, including the purchase of machinery and equipment for fisheries and training ves sels and to help modernise facilities in Tu va uto create a ase f° r exports, aiiotrai ia’C c. „ traimimp pi cnrc run > c M ° r,JI “Ltllbt THE AUSTRALIAN Government has a B ree d to give top priority to requests for training assistance from Fiji, following ta * s uva between a team from the Australian International Development Assistance Bureau and senior Fiji Government officials, During the meeting, the Fiji represen latlves pointed out that most ministries, institutions and agencies had suffered considerable staff losses since the military coups of last year.

The two sides agreed on the urgency of framing immediate training needs while taking long-term development objectives into account as well. □