PACIFIC ISLAND LEADERS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 70, Issue 109, 21 February 1950, Page 3

PACIFIC ISLAND LEADERS

CONFERENCE IN SUVA ON APRIL 24 TALKS ON SOCIAL PROBLEMS <N.Z.P. A.- Copyright) CANBERRA, Feb. 20. For the first time in history, kings, headmen and leaders of the island populations of the South Pacific would meet in Suva to discuss ways of raising standards of living and improving the social, economic and health standards of their people, said the secretarygeneral of the South Pacific Commission (Mr W. D. Forsyth) today.

The meeting, which would be known as the South Pacific Conference, would open in Suva on April 24. More than 60 advisers and delegates, representing 2,500,000 people of the South Pacific island groups, would travel to Suva for the conference.

Among the delegates would be two kings from the Western Samoan islands and three headmen from the Papuan and New Guinea tribes. Be, cause of language difficulties, many of the delegates were bringing their own interpreters to the conference. Mr Forsyth said the : delegates would come from areas which were cohti’olled by New 'Zealand, Australia, Britain, the United States, France, and the Netherlands.

“The conference is not in any way concerned with defence,” Mr Forsyth said. “The delegates will review the work done by the South Pacific Commission. All suggestions and recommendations which they make will come to the commission for consideration.

“We hope to hold conferences once every three years, so that the island leaders will get a chance to discuss the work of the commission.”