Unemployment in Samoa

From Our Own Correspondent.

Apia, Dec. 1.

THE unemployed question in Samoa was discussed in the Legislative Coun cil recently, and the Administration as sured Council members that it is doing its utmost to cope with the problem. The number of totally and partly unemployed among the European residents of Samoa is larger than appears on the surface.

There has, unfortunately, been a ten dency on the part of the Administration to import officials with high salaries from New Zealand for positions which could easily and efficiently be filled by local Europeans, who would gladly work for lower wages. Recently the N. Zealand Reparation Estates imported two em ployees from N.Z., one of whom was ap pointed to a responsible position on a plantation, though he had no previous experience of tropical agriculture. There are a large number of people available here with good experience of plantation work, who could have filled the position.

The action of the N.Z.R.E. has caused consideration dissatisfaction and criticism in Apia. - Mr. J. R. Clay, managing director of Messrs. J. R. Clay and Co. Ltd., Papua, has been on furlough in Australia. He returns to Papua by the January Macdhui.