UNITY NEED

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 33, 8 August 1934, Page 13

UNITY NEED

PACIFIC ISLANDS

COPRA PROBLEM

(From "The Post's" Representative.) SYDNEY, August 2.

If a man standing on a certain Pacific Island wore injured by a spear thrown from a.neighbouring island—the islands in question being so close as to make this almost possible—he would have to make his complaint to London, by way of Suva, which would in turn communicate with Rabaul, through Canberra, tho capital of AustraliaThis may sound fantastic, but it is truo of the island of Bougainville, in the Northern Solomons, and of Shortland Island, in the Solomons. For Bougainville is part of tho Now Guinea mandated territory, and is responsible to Canberra, while Shortland is administered by tho Dominions Offieo in London. Pointing out that thero aro fourteen different administrationsBritish, Australian, American, French, and Japanese—which control, tho various group'i and territories of the central and'south Pacific, the "Pacific Islands Monthly" for July discusses the need •for an organisation which will provide facilities for [an exchange of opinions and experiences between them. I As in the examplo quoted these anomalies exist even.in territories under the Union Jack. But there are many other examples. " Certain of the Cook Islands," the article states, "aro very closo to certain of the islands near Tahiti. But the Cook Islanders may address themselves on matters of interisland import only to Wellington (N.Z.); whereas people in Tahiti territory mako their representations through Paris. Tli ere is only an imaginary lino between Eastern and Western Samoa, but tho official views of Western Samoa go to New Zealand, thence perhaps to London and Geneva, while the formal representations oi Eastern Samoa must bo conveyed to Washington." ! Tho difficulty is aggravated by the trouble which hag fallen on the copra industry, tho ono industry which is common to every island in the South Seas. Copra has, in the las* four years, dropped in value in a way which has disturbed and dislocated the whole of the economic machinery of tho Pacific. Much could be doup, if only some Government or some institution, with an official status, could be induced to tako the lead and organise unity of action between a few of the administrations interested in Pacific territories. Although copra is the only common .' industry there aro many other interests that are common to the islands. "If once unity in the copra industry were secured," tho article ' concludes, "co-operative effort might be possible in many :othor directions to their considerable mutual profit." ' _^