South Pacific Commission

The South Pacific Commission held its fourteenth session at Anse Vata, Noumea from October 24 to November 9,1955 under the chairmanship of Mr. R. Lassalle-Sere, Senior Commissioner for France. The Secretary-General (Bedell), in his report to the Commission, emphasized the value of the friendly spirit and cooperative effort that existed among the six participating governments and their territories in the South Pacific. The Commission approved the arrangements for the Third South Pacific Conference to be held at Suva, Fiji beginning on April 23, 1956 and voted a budget up to £14,000 for the purposes of the Conference. The Conference was to be attended by delegates from the territories of the participating governments in the South Pacific. The Commission decided to give regional health education strong emphasis in its program for 1956–1957, and suggested that the establishment of a short training course in health education in 1957 be considered. The Commission announced that during 1955 the dietitian on the Commission's team of specialists working with the territories on the major problem of improving infant and adult nutrition in the South Pacific had completed five years of special field studies on infant nutrition and maternal welfare in the region, and that Dr. M. O. T. Iyengar, research specialist in mosquito-borne diseases, would continue his work in that field during 1956.