Samoa

"Home-Brew" In

Fantastic System Under Review

From Our Own Correspondent.

APIA, August 24.

THE fantastic liquor system in vogue in Western Samoa—under which Euro peans receive a weekly “ration” of whatever they fancy, under a doctor’s written order, while the natives “brew their own” —came in for sharp criticism at the August meeting of the Legislative Council.

Hon. Tamasese (Samoan member) sub mitted that the present handling of liquor sales, under prohibition, had a bad

effect on the Samoan natives, who were brewing their own beer—a practice they had learned from the Europeans It might be all right for the Europeans to have liquor, but the system encourages the Samoans to brew beer.

The Acting-Administrator pointed out that there had always been liquor pro hibition for the Samoans. He could not say that the system was a good one.

Tamasese said that, under the German regime, the natives did not know how to brew beer, and hardly any Samoans had liquor. The effect of the present system was bad.

The Secretary of Native Affairs re marked that the brewing of beer was prob ably due to “home-brew” being cheaper than imported beer, and, whatever the method of handling imported beer, the inducement to brew would be the same.

Such things might not have occurred in the German times; but there were manv things the young generation of Samoans and other islanders are doing which their grandfathers did not do—and the same applied to Europeans.

Rentals And Licenses

Various other matters were dealt with.

European and Samoan members criticised the collection of native land rents by the Native Department and the charge of commission thereon. The Samoans wished to discontinue the deal ings between native lessors and European lessees through the Native Department Samoans would prefer direct dealing The Native Secretary replied that the present system saved the lessees a con siderable amount of trouble.

Hon. I. H. Carruthers suggested that license fees for shot guns (now 10/- for Europeans and 5/- for Samoans) should be the same for Europeans and Samoans.

Europeans are penalised at present, for no apparent reason.

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The Acting-Administrator said that Samoans had asked for a reduction of the license fees below 5/-, but the New Zealand Government refused.

To a suggestion of European members to reduce telephone rates, the Acting - Administrator replied that there was no prospect of such a reduction being granted.

Special Tax On Copra

Samoan members asked that the ex port duty on Samoan native copra should be reduced to the amount paid by Euro pean producers.

The Acting-Administrator stated that the Samoans paid no personal taxes, and therefore the extra 10/- per ton export duty on Samoan copra could not be re mitted. especially as it was remembered that the cost of the purely native ser vices and organisation had increased con siderably. Europeans, though not paying a personal tax now. were paying salary tax. turnover tax and other taxes which the Samoans were not paying. Compared with Fiji, Tonga and elsewhere, Samoans pay very little taxation.

The Acting-Administrator said he would be quite prepared to remit the 10/extra export duty, if there were some other way of getting the revenue. He would prefer a sliding scale of export duty on copra.

Education

Regarding an item, £125 for a trans lation of Dr. Kraemer’s “standard work on Samoa”. Hon. Tuala Tulo objected to the book, as, from the Samoan point of view, it contained much incorrect infor mation, especially about Samoan pedi grees. He said the Samoans would pre pare a book giving a true record of the foundations of the Samoan people.

The Secretary of Native Affairs stated that Kraemer’s book did not claim to be an absolute and final authority on the subject, but had considerable value for Universities and scientists.

Expenditure on the Government school grounds at Malifa and Ifi Ifi was ex plained as necessary owing to the increase in the number of pupils from 400 to 1,500.