Planting in Fiji 473 



What is the reason for this state of affairs ? 

 Who is to blame, the planter or the merchant ? 



The answer to the first question is simply 

 this, that Fiji copra as now put on the European 

 market is the poorest article offered there, and 

 consequently is paid the lowest p'rice. The 

 answer to the second question is not so 

 obvious. The planter, or producer, especially 

 if a native or Indian, has not, as a rule, the 

 proper appliances for making good copra ; the 

 weather also may be against the work, and the 

 copra may have to remain in the vatas for a 

 considerable time before it is dry enough, and 

 then it has turned a very dark colour. Such 

 copra, when pressed, only gives an oil of bad 

 colour and poor quality. The local merchant 

 takes it, not from choice in many cases, but 

 because he has supplied the owner with goods 

 on credit, and this is the only way in which he 

 can get payment. If the merchant sent such 

 copra to Europe or the Colonies it would 

 not come up to expectations, so he mixes it 

 with some of better quality. The planter 

 himself will do this if he is fortunate enough 

 to be able to. This results in indifferent copra, 

 and the blame lies with the merchant as well 

 as with the planter, but mostly with the former. 

 All the planters cannot always produce good 

 copra, but the shipper can always grade it if he 

 likes, and really good copra can be obtained 

 from Fiji as well as from other places. 



To make the copra in the field, as is done 



