NAURU ISLAND

Evening Star, Issue 19272, 10 June 1926, Page 5

NAURU ISLAND

NATIVE RIGHTS PROTECTION PITOSPHATE COMM[PSION'S RKPORT. Prose Association—B.r Telegraph—Copyright GENEVA, June 9. A supplementary memorandum to the Nauru report was before the Mandates Commission, which expressed its satisfaction with the position. Sir Joseph Cook, replying to an inquiry as to what bad been done to protect the rights of the natives, announced that the present agreement for the payment of a lump sum of £2O an acre and a royalty of 3d per ton on the phosphate expires in June, 1927. After that date the land-owners propose that for phosphate land there snail he an annual rental of £3 per acre, with a minimum of £l, the trees to be paid for in addition to a royalty of Is per ton on the phosphate raised (not shipped, as at present). The British Phosphate Commission is to have the option of terminating the lease after a period of not less than six years on a year’s notice. Under the new proposals the Administrator will be asked to appoint a qualified person to see that the rights of the owners are conserved, to check the amount of phosphate raised, to see that the Commission is not allowed to ekim the good parts and leave those that are not so good, and to ensure that the Commission works the phosphate in a systematic manner. —A. and N.Z. Cable.