Samoan Trade
p. 60 · Read in the full issue
N.Z. Becomes Territory's Best Customer
Prom Our Own Correspondent APIA, March 1.
TRADE figures of the Mandated Ter ritory of Western Samoa, for the calendar year, show some decline, compared with 1938, but import values have remained practically stationary.
Year. Imports. Exports. £ £ 1938 196,272 248,605 19'39 194,736 220,409 Of the imports, £148,612 are of Brit ish and £46,124 of foreign origin, which is almost the same proportion as in 1938.
Exports, compared with the previous year are as follow: —
Owing to adverse weather, in January, 1939, there was an abnormally small cocoa crop in 1939, though cocoa pro duction was actually higher (about 800 tons) in 1939, as there was a consider able carry-over of stocks at the end of 1939. Prospects for 1940 are splendid.
The following were the countries of destination of exports from the Terri tory for the years 1938 and 1939: —
The above figures reveal some re markable changes in the destination of our exports. Compared, with 1938, the United Kingdom is no longer Western Samoa’s best customer for copra and cocoa beans, and took only less than half the value in 1939. Samoa’s best
customer is now New Zealand, which takes all our bananas, and some cocoa beans. Australia took more than twice as much cocoa from us in 1939 than in 1938. The United States have increased purchases of copra and cocoa in 1939 by one-third, while Mexico increased copra purchases in 1939 from £4,207 to £25,200.
Imports into the Territory came from the following main countries of origin:—
While imports from New Zealand, Australia, United States, East Indies and Fiji—all countries nearer to Samoa —have increased in value, imports from more remote countries, like United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, Burma, India, Germany and China, have appreciably decreased —probably as a result of the war.
The following officers of the Western Samoa Chamber of Commerce were elected on March 18, for the year 1940- 41: President, I. H. Carruthers; Vice president, R. H. Brown; Secretary, P.
W. Glover, B.Sc., F.R.A.S.; Treasurer, H.
G. Edwards; Auditor, R. G. Bruce; Council, Messrs. A. Andrews, G. S.
Chisholm, S. V. Mackenzie, O. F. Nelson, E. F. Paul and A, G. Smyth.
As the result of representations made to the British Navy by Rear-Admiral Byrd, the American Antarctic explorer, a merchant ship on her way from Eng land to New Zealand was diverted to Pitcairn Island and there picked up and carried to Auckland, Mrs. Bernice Lil lian, who is a descendant of Young, one of the “Bounty” mutineers. It was urgently necessary that Mrs. Lillian should undergo an operation but, owing to wartime conditions, few ships now call at Pitcairn Island and it seemed at first that the problem of her transport was insoluble.
1938. 1939.
Cocoa beans, tons .. .. 1,647 650 Value .. .. £59,699 £25,152 Copra, tons 11.241 12,536 Value £ 103,529 £108,078 Bananas, cases 205,715 199,905 Value £77,143 £74,956 Rubber, tons 49 48 Value £3,293 £4,509 Papain, lb. 1,170 377 Value .. .. £297 £129
Destination. 1938. 1939T. £ £ New Zealand 80,462 84,305 Australia 746 1,681 United Kingdom 85,647 39,569 25,155 33,981 Mexico 4,207 25,200 Holland 5,684 — Unspecified European countries 42,792 30,082
Country. 1938. 1939. £ £ New Zealand 58,815 62,498 Australia 28,141 38,113 United Kingdom . 29,897 24,476 U.S. America 19,480 20,157 Japan 14,647 10,873 Dutch East Indies 6,029 9,986 Canada 16,432 8,444 Fiji 4,628 5,786 Burma 4,811 4,49'2 India 4,524 3,784 Germany 3,894 2,045 China 1,272 1,190