LORD HOWE ISLAND

Grey River Argus, 16 January 1941, Page 5

LORD HOWE ISLAND

EFFORTS FOR SELF SUPPORT SYDNEY, January 5. The erection of a sawmill is the latest intrusion of modern life upon the idyllic solitude of Lord Howe Island, that tiny speck in mid-Tas-man, 400 miles from Sydney. Now a working unit, the sawmill is treating island timbers, thus creating a new phase in the economic life of the island, as, until recently, all timbers required in Lord Howe were imported from Sydney. After three months Mr C. E. Ahrens, the administrator of Lord Howe for the Board of Control in Sydney, has reported on the Jesuit of the efforts he has made towards making the island self-supporting. As a result, harsh days have come for the island paradise of the Tasman, but the islanders are responding to the new order, even if it means less time for fishing. ’ In recent months experimental plots have been planted to develop anything that can be eaten or sold, flowers are being grown, potatoes have been sown and dairy herds are being improved. Strict restrictions have been imposed on the introduc tion of plants and seeds in order that no pests are broug b< ing caught for commercial purposes instead of as an amateur pastime. Trevalli and kingfish have been sold on the Sydney market. One shilling an hour has been fixed as the payment for work performed for islanders. It is not .a princely rate, but the tempo of life is slow and the cost of living low,