ISLAND NEWS.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 119, 22 May 1928, Page 19

ISLAND NEWS.

OUR FIJI LETTER.

(From Our Own Correspondent.)

SUVA, May 17.

OBITUARY.

The death occurred last week at Vagadaci of Mr. Charles Wise, sen., at the advanced age of 80 years. Deceased wa» one of the early pioneers of Fiji, and was a well-known identity of Ovalau, where he resided for very many yoars. TARIFF REVISION. Business people overseas will be interested to know that the Fiji Government propose alterations in the tariff. Excellency has appointed a Tariff Revision and Taxation Committee comprising four Government officials and two elected members. Local business people are curious to know in what direction the committee will move in altering the tariff. FRENCH HIGH COMMISSIONER. _ M. Guyon, the' French High Commissioner for the. Pacific and Governor of New Caledonia, will arrive on Friday in the sloop of war Cassiopee. He will be the gttest of His Excellency the Governor for several days, and then «o on to Wallis and Futuna. FJJI COPRA. At the last sitting of tho Fiji Legislative Council a strong motion was passed advocating that steps be taken to improve the quality of local copra. As a result the last issue of the "Royal Gazette" announced that a draft bill had been prepared in accordance with the motion passed. It brings all green copra within control, and, as the Attor-ney-General said, it was in the interests of the industry that green copra should only be purchased 'jy persons who have the proper facilities for drying it. The bill allows only those persons who possess a license to purchase green copra. Such license shall be issued only if the superintendent of agriculture is satisfied that such person haß established and in good working order a plant capable of properly drying copra. It is hoped that the effect of this measure, which will be presented to the next sitting of the Legislature, will do away with so much half-cured copra, largely native dried, which has been seriously damaging the fair fame of the Colony and affecting the general price of Fiji copra. The Government appear to be fuly alive to the urgent need of prompt action. SHEEP EXPERIMENTS. With the view of testing the possibilities of sheep raising on <Faviuni, Mr. E. Duncan, one of our leading planters, landed last week 3.9 sheep from Australia. These include Corriedales and Suffolks and another South of England type. Mr. Duncan hopes to Becure a cros of short-woolled sheep, which will stand our semi-tropical climate and prove a payable proposition. The experiment will be watched with keen interest by other planters. The introduction .of good foeally-grbwn mutton would prove >a, most welcome innovation. < JAPANESE COMING. News has arrived that the two Japanese cruisers will tall at Suva, and that Fiji will have the honour of entertaining the brother of the Mikado. The Govern- ; ment ; propose to makfc special arangcments "to entertain the distinguished visitor, _ : .

LATEST CUSTOM RETURNS. The estimate that business would improve in the Colonv has been borne out so far as the Customs returns for the first four months of the year is concerned. The revenue received for the first four months was £2965 above the estimates. Import duties were £89,553, as against the estimate of £86,332. The export duties were £231 as against £336. The total actual revenue was £100,501, as against £105,536.