The North Borneo Herald. TUESDAY, 17th AUGUST 1915. COCONUTS AND COCONUT OIL

THE NORTH BORNEO HERALD

AND

THE OFFICIAL GAZETTE

EDUCATIONAL SERIES BY BORNEO HISTORY

No. 16. - VOL.XXXIII. SANDAKAN, TUESDAY, 17th AUGUST 1915.

The North Borneo Herald.

TUESDAY, 17th AUGUST 1915.

COCONUTS AND COCONUT OIL

In all parts of North Borneo, during the past twelve months, there has been notable activity in the planting of coconuts. It is very gratifying to see so much land being taken up by the natives for whom this branch of agriculture is eminently suitable ; and it is noteworthy that the Chinese, who have a reputation for knowing a good thing when they see it, are engaging widely in the cultivation. European planters also are displaying a good deal of interest, and though the amount of coconut land owned by Europeans in this country and the same is true of all other tropical countries is small in proportion to the total acreage; extensions are steadily going on, and signs are not wanting that developments will be rapid in the near future.

Interest in the coconut industry as a field for the investment of European capital is of comparatively recent growth, dating back to the time when the makers of such articles as butter substitutes, soap and candles found that the supply of animal fats was not equal to the demand. Fortunately nature can manufacture many of her commodities in more than one workshop; and, supplies from the animal kingdom failing to satisfy requirements, it was possible to turn to the vegetable world to make up the deficiency.

A writer in the special food number of "The Times" published last year summed up the position as it was then follows "Animal fats, dependent as they are on the supply of animals, are at most remaining stationary, if not actually declining as regards production. As herds gradually give place to agricultural land, also does the meat supply tend to fall off, or at least appreciate in price, and with it the supply of animal fat. The solution of the problem would therefore appear to be along the lines of securing an increase supply of vegetable oil and fats. Some authorities go so far as to say that in increased production of vegetable oils lies our only hope for the future."

THE WAR AND COCONUTS.

It seems extremely probable that one of the results of the war broke out soon after the above was written, will be still more pronounced shortage of animal fats. On account of the present high price of meat there is a great temptation to slaughter animals indiscriminately and complaints are coming out from home that the butcher is outbidding the farmer in the markets. The same thing is doubtless happening in other countries ; it must lead to a reduction in the number of cattle kept for breeding purposes, and a shortage of kind cannot be made up for years.

A second bearing on the question is this: taxation will certainly high after the War, and in addition there will probably be a period of trade depression, when millions of the working classes throughout Europe will be compelled to economise. One of the first economies likely to be resorted to is the use of butter substitutes instead of real butter, especially if the price of the latter is, as it doubtless will be, high. The sale of these substitutes is enormous : it is estimated that 136,000 tons were sold in Great Britain in 1912: that is, about 7lbs per head of the population: and in many countries on the continent the amount consumed per head is considerably greater.

In Nutritive value and digestibility margarine and butter are almost identical, and when once the public has become accustomed to the cheaper article it is unlikely to return to the dearer. Further than this, the high price of animal fats will help to bring about the elimination of oleomargarine which contains about 40 % of suet and lard and only about 6 % of coconut oil, in favour of nut butter, whose content of coconut oil is 50 % or more.

In these circumstances it seems safe to predict that there will be an increased demand for coconut oil and that prices will rule high ; and that, attention being thus drawn to one of the world's pressing needs, a part of the capitol liberated at the close of hostilities will be in coconut planting.

The essential soundness of the industry has long been ,recognised by those who know, and when it comes into its own, British North Borneo, which possesses large tracts of excellent oil and a climate as suitable for the cultivation as any in the tropics, should get its full share of the capital to be invested.

A LOCAL INVENTION

The interest taken in the coconut industry by the majority in the tropics does not go beyond the production of the nuts or of copra. There seems no reason, however, why planters should not go a step further and obtain for themselves the profits to be made by extracting the oil, but no doubt the difficulty is that the necessary plant is expensive, and can only be used by companies with large acreages in bearing.

In this connection the article copied from the "Penang Gazette" in the last issue of the "Herald" , describing an invention for the extraction of coconut oil, should be of interest, especially to residents in North Borneo seeing that the inventor. is a local man, Mr Vyner of Jesselton.

One of the chief points about the invention is that the machines can be employed to deal with the produce of small estates or groups of native holdings. On this account the invention should appeal, not to owners of estates, but to some of our enterprising Chinese merchants in districts where there are considerable numbers of trees in bearing, and where supplies of coconuts could be obtained within small radius.

A second feature is that the oil is extracted from the fresh coconut. Turning the• kernels into copra is therefore unnecessary, and it is claimed that the oil is much more suitable for edible purposes than that extracted in the ordinary way.

Consumers would doubtless agree if they could travel in steamer laden with copra for Marseilles, and see the condition in which some of it arrives. Its purification, of course, presents no difficulty to the scientist; after extraction with banzine it is neutralised with soda and deodorised by steam : the finish product is above suspicion, but those on whose tables it is to appear would prefer it if the raw material had never been contaminated by mould and weevils, and if some of the chemical processes could be omitted during its manufacture. By extracting the oil from the fresh , nuts, as is done by Mr. Vyner's machine, improvements would at once be effected.

-/sj