Small Settlers In Difficulties In Samoa

From Our Own Correspondent.

APIA, March 20.

QUITE a number of Europeans, lessees of small cocoa and banana planta tions from the New Zealand Repa rations Estates, are in serious straits financially as a result of the bad cocoa crop of last year and the cutting down in price and size of banana shipments to New Zealand.

Some of these settlers have invested all their savings in their holdings and now are facing ruin. It would be wise, if the Administration could see their way to give some measure of relief to these settlers, by reducing their rents or granting sufficient time for payment till the next cocoa crop is due. Samoa is still a purely agricultural country, and if the Administration intends to encourage agricultural production, the European planters should be given every possible assistance.

Owners of large cocoa plantations are not much better off than the small settlers. Only a very few have been able to make their plantations pay and these lucky ones have usually started with capital of their own or under very favourable circumstances. The great majority of cocoa planters are in debt to the cocoa buyers, some of them very heavily.

The first cocoa crop of 1932, on which many planters have built their hopes, has suffered heavily from brown rot disease and black pods owing to the wet season. So this crop, also, will be very small and not remotely up to ex pectations, which tends to increase difficulties. This is the more regret table, as there is a large demand for Samoan cocoa at present and prices are exceptionally good.