News From Western Samoa

Cocoa Crop Unsatisfactory Fine New Post Office Minor Industries Quiet

APIA, October 6.

UP to now, we have had a very unsatisfactory cocoa crop and most planters complain that their output will be smaller than for the last few years.

It seems, however, that a fairly good crop will be picked in October, Nov ember and December, and the pros pects for an early crop next year are good. The price in New York and Philadelphia, where practically all of our cocoa is being sent at present, is still keeping up for good quality washed cocoa.

Boxing Popular

Boxing is the favourite sport to-day in Samoa. The Tripaga Playhouse is giving boxing competitions every Wed nesday and great interest is shown by the crowded houses. Local fans have presented valuable prizes for the winners of the various divisions.

The heavy-weight division was re cently won by a Samoan boy, Moli, who was presented with his prize by the patron of the boxing show, Judge Luxford.

The next day the judge had the unpleasant duty of convicting the same boy, Moli, for embezzlement of moneys from his employers, Burns, Philp S.S. Co. Ltd., and sentenced him to a year’s imprisonment.

The Territory’S Finances

The new post office building, in course of erection, is now nearing completion, and will apparently be one of the finest buildings on Apia’s main road.

The cost of the building is approxi mately £8,000, and it is regrettable that this money had to be spent at a time when Samoa’s finances are in such a deplorable state and the reve nue decreasing continuously.

The public roads are in a shocking state and there is no money available to effect repairs. The police force is another expensive burden on Samoa, but there is some talk that shortly the force will be considerably reduced in numbers.

Following the example of other communities in the Pacific and else where, the cost of the Administra tion could be very much cut down, in accordance with the present New Zealand policy. Much, of course, de pends on a speedy settlement of the political trouble, of which, however, there is no sign so far.

The copra export duty is still at £1/10/- per ton, though most of the other Pacific countries have abolished the export tax on copra altogether.

The Samoan natives receive only about £3/10/- per ton for their copra.

European’S Enterprise

Unrewarded

An interesting instance of the state the minor industries of Samoa are in

at present is provided by the case of a European trader, who came to Samoa from America about a year ago.

The man was full of new ideas for money making. At a small trading station outside of Apia he started first to run a small refreshment room and ice cream counter. Later, he bought beche-de-mer from the nat ives, preparing it in his own drier.

He also conducted a butchery, killing and delivering meat in his own lorry.

He bought bananas for shipment by the Government steamer, and packed them himself. Not satisfied with that he started a small picture show for natives, Chinese and black-boy labour.

But all these ventures remained profitless. He lost heavily on most of them and had to give up one after the other.

The explanation was simple—there was no spending money, or at least not enough to show a profit over and above the expenses involved.

This case is typical of Samoa, as it is to-day.

Quite a few industries which paid in former times, are abandoned now as not paying expenses—viz., rubber tapping, growing of peanuts and pine apples, making papain (pepsin), making beche-de-mer, export of cola nuts, etc. Even the growing of fruit and vegetables for local consumption does not pay any more, owing to over production.

Samoa Popular With Chinese

The Coolie transport, “Apoey,” brought to Samoa, about 200 new Coolies, and left on September 11 with 403 time-expired labourers, for Hong kong.

Proof that Samoa is one of the fav oured destinations of the Chinese in dentured labourer, and that conditions here are ideal from his point of view, may be adduced by the fact that no less than 12 stowaways were making the trip to Samoa and 18 men evaded repatriation to China by hiding away till the boat had left.

The New Zealand Parliament re cently was petitioned by the Samoan wife of a Chinese worker, Ah Quoi, who a few years ago was deported from Samoa, for the return of her husband.

Ah Quoi left his wife and nine chil dren behind and owned some pro perty in Samoa. The Public Petitions Committee referred the petition to the Government for favourable consid eration, suggesting that Ah Quoi be permitted to return to Samoa at any time after the end of the current year, conditional on his entering into a bond as to good conduct.

There are, by the way, estimated to be about 1,500 Chinese half-castes in Western Samoa, the offspring of Chinese Coolies and Samoan women— a very considerable number in a total population of about 40,000. They constitute one of the many puzzling problems of our island community.