Inter Island Trading

Some of the pacific islands we had to visit had no infrastructure for loading and discharging cargo, many were not much more than coral  reefs. In such cases we would anchor off shore and rig up a make shift raft by lashing two life boats together and placing hatch covers across them and tow them to the beach. Burns Philp kept a tight control of all the movement of primary crops from out lying islands ,copra, rubber and later coffee. They had a monopoly on all the major shipping  movements, so growers were obliged to do business. If various plantations wanted their crop transported they would sell to the company it was as simply as that.

Many of these plantations were managed by young Dutch boys or older German ones ,both left overs from the wars of the 20th cent. At times they were the only Europeans on their island resulting on a high reliance on the bottle.Inevitably they would take their frustrations out on the native labour and it was not uncommon for them to use a cane to assist the labour to lift heavy objects. Loading cargo onto a makeshift rafts in a surf was a difficult task at the best of times.

The standard wage for these islanders was around two pounds a month if my memory serves me correctly. Plus a weekly ration of rice and spam, then they would also receive a lap lap ever six months. Ever now and then we were obliged to return them to their respective islands after their two year contract expired. This was done simply by rigging up a tarpaulin on deck for shade , they would just camp there for the few days it took us to get them home. Then we would pick up a fresh group for the return home. In many ways the whole procedure was not far removed from 19th cent. black birding were so many axes were traded for so many boys with the tribal chiefs.

The plus side however was that many of the returnees were very happy with the wrist watch or bicycle and the few pounds they had saved to buy a bride. In their village they were considered comparatively wealthy men and would strut their stuff for all it was worth. even today I find it very hard to believe that these events were really not all that long ago for the year was1957/8.