ABSTRACT
In the early twentieth century, big business in the form of large agricultural plantations run by whites, mostly Aus tralians, arrived in the Solomons. Copra (the flesh of coconuts that, when pressed, is used in a variety of consumer products) became a valuable cash crop. Tourism, the mainstay of the Solomons today, was unknown. Although tropical, the islands lacked the breathtaking beauty of Tahiti or Hawaii.
