§ 43. Mr. Parkerasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will give details of the amounts of copra produced and the amount exported from the British Solomon Islands Protectorate since the war, compared with the amounts produced and exported in the five years before the war.
§ Mr. Rees-WilliamsUp to 25th October, 963 tons of copra had been produced in the Protectorate, and, up to 22nd September, 554 tons had been exported. The average yearly exports of copra between 1936 and 1941 was 21,000 tons. Production is increasing, and the current rate of 30 tons per week is expected to rise considerably.
§ 44. Mr. Parkerasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what efforts are being made to increase copra production in the British Solomon Islands Protectorate through native and plantation enterprise; and what steps are being taken by the local Government to encourage the development of co-operative production and marketing.
§ Mr. Rees-WilliamsThe local Government are doing everything possible to restore production and to organise shipping facilities. Sanction has been given to the issue of interest-free loans to assist the rehabilitation of the plantations, and, in some cases where owners have not yet returned to the Islands, arrangements are being made with Government encouragement for the Islanders to work the plantations on their own account, and, where possible, on a co-operative basis.