Samoa Is Becoming
p. 24 · Read in the full issue
Self-Contained
Local Coffee, Soap and Tobacco in Demand
From Our Own Correspondent.
APIA, August 4.
SAMOA is still in the throes of the de pression, with little prospects for an immediate improvement. There is some consolation, however, in the fact, that prices for some commodities have dropped lately and that with regard to some ne cessities Samoa is becoming self-sustain ing and independent of imports.
For instance, it is possible now to buy excellent beef and pork for 6d. a pound against a former charge of 1/-. At present a bread war is raging between local bakeries which has extended to country districts and in consequence of which the price for a 2lb. loaf of bread has dropped to 6d from 1/- per loaf. A splendid washing soap is manufactured by an enterprising Apia Chinaman and sold at half the price of the imported article. This local soap is made from copra.
Of late some quite decent and smok able cigars and cigarettes have been sold in Apia made from Samoan tobacco grown of imported seeds. As the price is low and means a considerable saving for the large local community of smokers, the demand is very satisfactory.
Another article of local provenance. coming into its own lately, is local-grown coffee. At various places in Upolu and Savaii coffee of superior quality is grown and all varieties of the bean are repre sented here—Arabian, Mocca, Liberian and Robusta. Coffee is grown by Euro pean as well as native Samoan planters and the price charged is, according to quality, anything from 3d to 1/- per lb.
There is a large demand for the local coffee, which at present cannot be satis fied fully by local production.
Owing to the low price of copra, on some plantations (for instance, the N.Z.
Reparation Estates) the motor lorries are being withdrawn from planation work and are being replaced by the old time ox cart, as in the time before the advent of the motor car. Not a few of the strug gling planters, who previously sported elegant motor cars, have dolefully re turned to the faithful horse and buggy.