south pacific e e H U M fS M M RTERLY PUBLICATION OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC COMMISSION / THIRD QUARTER 1976 The House of Seppelt has been producingfine wines in Australia since lo51. Enjoy these wines from the House of Seppelt. one of Australia's great winemakers. Moyston Claret. Chalambar Burgundy. Salinger White Burgundy. Arawatta Riesling. Greenock Sauteme. Mehta Moselle. Rhymney Chablis. Barossa Valley Rose. Para Liqueur Port. Solero Sherries. U. Seppelt & Sons Limited. Gresham Street, Adelaide, South Australia, 5000. New K odak Tele'Instamatic cam era Actual print size is 9 x 11 cm. N ow take norm al or telephoto snapshots.*, at the flick o f a sw itch! It’s a new type of pocket camera- the difference in these two shots. with a normal snapshot lens to capture Camera is sold as an outfit including the whole scene and a telephoto lens Kodacolor film, wrist strap, flash and that lets you take candid close-ups instructions. See it at your photo without moving a step. You can see dealer. KODAK (Australasia) PTY. LTD. "Kodak” , “Tele-lnstamatic” and "Kodacolor" are registered trademarks of Kodak (Australasia) Pty. Ltd. K61/5161 SOUTH PACIFIC BULLETIN, THIRD QUARTER, 1976 Page 1 Fast...efficient...reliable SPEEM -GAS The Gas Supply Company Limited, a member of the major Australian Boral Group of Companies is associated with a network of bulk storage terminals distributing SPEED-E-GAS throughout the Pacific region. Terminals at Port Moresby, Lae, Rabaul, Kieta,Wewak, Honiara, Santo, Suva, Lautoka, Nukualofa and Rarotonga now supply fast efficient SPEED-E-GAS for industrial, commercial and domestic requirements in these areas. SPEED-E-GAS is completely dependable and highly efficient fuel, so vital to the development of modern living. The Gas Supply Company Limited Head Office, 221 Miller Street North Sydney 2060 Phone 92-0951 Ilaisa Vakata cooks with FIJI-GAS at the Suva TraveLodge A member of the Group * SPEED-E-GAS is known in Papua New Guinea as GUINEA GAS, in Tonga as TONGA SPEED-E-GAS and in Fiji as FIJI-GAS HOLT BL21 Page 2 SOUTH PACIFIC BULLETIN, THIRD QUARTER, 1976 $A0.95c within SPC area south pacific $A1 Australia BULLETIN SNZ1.20 New Zealand OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC COMMISSION Vol. 26 No. 3: 3rd Quarter, 1976 ► Road development in New Caledonia 6 C. Richard ► Concrete blocks for rural low-cost housing 9 R. J. Binning and K. C. Calvert ► Regional Conference on root crop production 12 Michel Lambert ► Constitutional development in Micronesia: Part 2 14 Samuel F. McPhetres ► The Secretary-General of the South Pacific Commission visits COP (Pacific Oceanological Centre) 24 ► How solar energy can make living more comfortable 26 R. K. Hill ► Manpower planning and economic development in a Pacific context 34 Dr I. J. Fairbairn ► Rhinoceros beetles in Papua New Guinea 38 Geoffrey O. Bedford ► Pacific reading 42 ► Theses and dissertations 44 Dr William Coppell ► Recent stamp issues 48 (The original text of all articles is English unless otherwise indicated.) Noumea, the capital of New Caledonia, is the home of the South Pacific Commission which is housed in the white, star-shaped pentagonal building in the foreground of our cover C ^ n V P V P'cture- Later this year, the Sixteenth South Pacific Conference will meet in this building for Kj Uv c i one 0f the most significant conferences in the 30-year history of the SPC. (Photo by the late Dr Guy Loison.) The South Pacific Bulletin, first published in January 1951, The Commission does not accept responsibility for statements features articles on activities in the South Pacific Commission's made in contributed articles. three main fields of operation: economic, health and social All enquiries concerning the South Pacific Bulletin should be development. Articles are contributed by specialists working directed either to the Secretary-General, South Pacific Com­ in these and related fields in the SPC area. The Bulletin mission, BPD5, Noumea CEDEX, New Caledonia; or The has a selective, world distribution among people and institu­ Editor, SPC Publications Bureau, Box 306, Haymarket, NSW, tions in widely differing fields sharing a common interest in 2000, Australia. Subscription rates: within SPC area— $A3.80 the purposes and work of the Commission. (1 yr.), SA10.50 (3 yrs.); elsewhere— see subscription form Unless otherwise stated, all material appearing in the South inside. Map inside shows SPC area. Pacific Bulletin may be reproduced without prior reference Editor of Commission Publications: C. E. BIRCHMEIER. provided acknowledgement is made to both source and author. Advertising Manager: FRANK O’CONNELL (Phone: 212 2344). SOUTH PACIFIC BULLETIN, THIRD QUARTER, 1976 Page 3 These IMF distributors PAPUA NEW GUINEA FIJI. TONGA. WESTERN NEW CALEDONIA TAHITI Ela Motors Limited. SAMOA AND OTHER SOUTH Pacific Motors S.A., Ets, Donald, P.0. Box 75, PACIFIC TERRITORIES B.P. H 5, P.0. Box 131. PAPEETE PORT MORESBY Motor Division, Burns Philp NOUMEA CEDEX (South Sea) Co. Ltd.. NEW HEBRIDES Branches and Dealers P.0. Box 355, BRITISH SOLOMON ISLANDS CONDOMINIUM throughout Papua SUVA. FIJI ■ W .TTHTTry I Pentecost Pacific S.A., New Guinea Branches throughout the region Santo and Port Vila can show you how IMF slashers keep going in conditions that would stop others short An MF slasher will make short work of any under stress. That’s one good reason to make shredding, clearing or cutting job and it takes an MF slasher your first choice, but there are only a demonstration to prove this. The sec­ plenty of others too! Like the fully shrouded ret of MF’s superiority is the use of a large design of the output shaft that prevents any diameter disc with four swing back blades. possibility of wire or other material fouling The disc utilises the flywheel principle to the shaft to cause damage to the machine. maintain constant drive revs, so you get a Take your choice from fully-mounted or reserve of power to keep going even under trailed models in 4,5 and 6 foot cutting widths. the severest cutting conditions. Another What’s more when you buy MF you’re not left advantage of the flywheel is that it drastically for dead . your distributor backs your reduces horse­ choice of MF with power require­ parts and service ment so you don’t to keep you on put the tractor the go at all and implement times. MFE 74043 Page 4 SOUTH PACIFIC BULLETIN, THIRD QUARTER, 1976 THE SOUTH PACIFIC COMMISSION The South Pacific Commission is a consultative Until 1974, Commissioners from the participating and advisory body which was set up in 1947 by the Governments met in annual Session. The South six Governments then responsible for the adminis­ Pacific Conference first met in 1950, and became an tration of island territories in the South Pacific annual event in 1967. It was attended by delegates region. These were Australia, France, the Nether­ from countries and territories within the Com­ lands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the mission's area of action, and met immediately before United States of America. Participation by the the Session. Netherlands Government ceased at the end of 1962. In October 1974, in Rarotonga, Cook Islands, The Independent State of Western Samoa was representatives of the participating Governments admitted as a participating Government in October signed a Memorandum of Understanding which pro­ 1964, the Republic of Nauru was admitted in July vides for the Commission and the Conference to 1969, the Dominion of Fiji in May 1971 and Papua meet annually in a joint session known as the South New Guinea in September 1975. Pacific Conference. The Commission’s purpose is to advise the par­ The Principal Officers of the Commission are the ticipating Governments on ways of improving the Secretary-General (and Chairman of the Programme well-being of the people of the Pacific island terri­ Research and Evaluation Council), Dr Macu Salato, tories. The Commission is concerned with health, and Programme Directors and members of the economic, and social matters. Its Headquarters are Council, Dr G. Loison, Dr F. Mahony and Dr J. G. at Noumea, New Caledonia. Motha. SOUTH PACIFIC BULLETIN, THIRD QUARTER, 1976 Page 5 Road Development in New Caledonia By C. RICHARD, Public Health Engineer, South Pacific Commission The word ‘road’ — route in French — is was decided to fund surveying projects for new derived from via rupta or ‘the beaten track’, roads, to be followed by the construction of a the name given to the Roman roads. A good number of new sections, together with the reno­ road must be well laid out, have an adequate vation of others which were no longer capable cross-section and be able to withstand the wear of meeting the demands placed on them. From and tear caused by traffic. All countries have its south-eastern to its north-western tip, New devised legislation to cover road traffic. Caledonia extends some 400 km, with an aver­ age width of about 50 km. The main feature In the developed world, in particular Western of the road network is Territorial Highway No. Europe and the United States, road networks 1 (RT1), following the West Coast (easier to have made astounding progress since the begin­ reach and more densely populated than the ning of the century (France has 15 km per East Coast), which runs the entire length of 1,000 inhabitants, the United States ten, Great the island, linking Noumea with Bouloparis, La Britain eight, Federal Germany five). This has Foa, Bourail, Poya, Pouembout, Kone, Voh not been the case in the South Pacific islands and Koumac. where the factors inherent in an island situa­ The RT1 at Foret-Noire after resurfacing tion, such as topographical and hydrological peculiarities and difficulty in obtaining public works equipment and materials, combine to make the construction of roads a very expensive To date, 22 such roads have been built (the business, especially when they are to be used RT22, on the island of Lifou, is the only Terri­ by a small number of vehicles covering small torial Highway in the Loyalties).