COPRA PLANTATION

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23618, 30 March 1940, Page 16

COPRA PLANTATION

A WOMAN AS MANAGER The management of a copra plantation of 800 acres, involving the supervision and care of 70 or 80' native labourers, and including the feeding and general health of the women and babies, is the chosen task of Mrs. Gladys linker, who owns and runs the Langu Plantation on the island of Witu, New Guinea. Since the death of her husband live years ago, Mrs. Baker has operated Langu entirely without assistance, nnd has produced an average yield of from •15 to 50 tons of copra per month. Last voar she appointed a young man to train as assistant manager. Mrs. Baker's hours are rigorous. She rises at 5.3 ft a.m. and by six o'clock has detailed her labourers for the day's work. When work for the day is finished Mrs. Baker attends to her native hospital, inspects her home and the work done by her houseboys. With the help of a native carpenterboy, Mrs. Baker has erected numerous buildings nnd bridges, including a copra store-shed of concrete, hardwood and galvanised iron, a hot-air kilt) copra drier, innumerable concrete bridges across waterways to enable her motor-truck to use the road, and two concrete loading stages in the sea to expedite the loading of copra.