Mau Will Not Be Wooed

But Better Prices Compensate for Political Stalemate

From Our Own Correspondent

APIA, April 17.

THE expectations of optimists, that the conviction and exile of Mr. O. F. Nel son would mean the collapse of the Mau Movement, have, as foretold by the “old timers,” been disappointed.

Efforts have been made during the last weeks to bring the two factions (the Mau adherents and the Malo or Government supporters) together. Fonos and Taaloles have been held in Mulinuu, attended by both parties and by the most important Chiefs and leaders; and, several times, the Administrator himself and other high officials were present.

The result of all the efforts, and the pas sionate speeches made by representatives of all interested, has been nil. The Mau remained adamant and insisted on the impossible “conditio sine qua non”—viz., the immediate return of Nelson from New Zealand and remission of his sentence— before any further negotiations could be started.

So we are back again where we started.

It is gratifying, however, to report that in contrast to the political, the econmoic situation is considerably easier since my last letter.

Owing to a noticeable improvement in the European and American cocoa mar kets, the local cocoa price, which had dropped to the unprecedented low record record of £12/10/ per ton, delivered on the beach, has now been raised to £20 per ton.

This rate is still unprofitable to the Euro pean planter, but gives most encouraging prospects for further improvement at a time when the planters are bringing a very prolific crop in.

As previously stated, the natives in most districts and especially in Savaii had completely stopped cutting their copra, dis satisfied with the very low rate at which the merchants weighed the product in.

The Administration, therefore, has felt

compelled to make a second cut in the copra export duty, from £1 to 10/- per ton for native copra, and of 5/- for European copra. This has enabled the merchants to raise the price to natives from 1/- to 1/6 per 100 lbs. in Savaii and Upolu out-dis tricts and to 2/6 in Apia district.

Prior to the rise only one quarter to one third of the normal copra deliveries had reached Apia. The increased rate operates as from April 1.

Regarding bananas, the controversy be tween the fruiterers of Christchurch and Mr. Sullivan, M.P., on the one side, and Messrs. Turner and Growers and the Prime Minister on the other side, has been fol lowed here with considerable interest, and we are gratified to know that the good quality of the Samoan bananas is appre ciated in New Zealand.

We also notice that a far larger quan tity of bananas could be assimilated by the N.Z. market, and doubtless sufficient ba nanas would be available in Samoa, if only a larger carrier than the tiny “Maui Po mare” could be made available.