Philately biggest money-spinner

Press, 4 November 1978, Page 15

Philately biggest money-spinner

Nine widely-spread coral isiavus, eigui oi them inhabited, make up the Tuvalu group. Land area totals 251! hectares, supporting a population of about 6600. Formerly the Ellice Islands in the British colony of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands. Tuvalu became self-governing in October. 1975. Britain remained responsible for its defence and foreign affairs and continued to provide most of Tuvalu’s development assistance. In spile of lull political ir dependence. the new

Government in Funafuti will depend on overseas aid to implement priorities in its newly-prepared Development Plan. In the three years (197880; covered by the plan, foreign aid is forecast at over $8 million., provided mainly by Britain. Australia, New Zealand and the United Nations Development Programme. Agriculture and fisheries are special development sectors. Tuvalu’s land is not only limited and lacking in mineral resources, it is not. especially fertile. Cropping has been at subsistence levels.

Agricultural priorities include increased coconut and livestock (pigs and poultry) production. Marine resources offer greater hope for social and economic development. The deep waters around Tuvalu are thought to be well stocked with species of tuna, including skipjack. In the Development Plan, skipjack is identified as possibly the basis for an expanded fishing industry. Transport and communications are other areas of development. ' The Plan gives priority to more frequent airline

links with the outside world, th* establishment i oi an amphibious air service between Funafuti and the outer islands, improved postal and radio telephone services, and a deep-water wharf at Funafuti. Manufacturing in Tuvalu 1 does not exist, but there is one business which flourishes — stamps. In 1977. sales ol Tuvaluan stamps amounted to $230,000 — revenue for the country which outstripped copra receipts ($56,429) and was bettered only by the remittance of funds bv Tuvaluan nat- i

ionals from abroad <s2t 10.000 >. The Philatelic Bureau in Funafuti employs ’.2 people — an appreciable stall' for the size oi Tuvalu. where 60 per cent of the working population is employed by Government department -. The success of the development programin' depends on the co-oper-ation of a form of region al government — the Island Councils. These Councils were set up in 1966 and in the implementation of the Development Plan they are expected to take a leading role.