Samoa Booming

High Rates for Produce

From Our Own Correspondent

Apia, Oct. 15.

WESTERN Samoa, under war condi tions, is, in spite of war restrictions and emergency regulations and the very high ever-increasing cost of living, still one of the most fortunate countries, not only of the Pacific area, but prob ably of the whole world.

Prices of our agricultural products are very satisfactory at present, as fixed by the Government; and native copra and cocoa producers are enjoying higher rates, after the past lean years.

European producers are in a less for tunate position, as they are faced with a very pronounced shortage of plantation labour, and with considerably increased wages for any native labour they are able to obtain.

Natives, especially on Savaii and the south and east coasts of Upolu, are busy cutting copra; and, with the higher rates ruling the natives’ purchasing power has greatly increased. Unfortunately, there exists at the same time an acute shortage of goods, particularly foodstuffs and clothing: and this shortage is marked in the trading stations in country districts outside of Apia. So the situation here is now similar to that in USA, Australia and New Zealand—people have plenty of money, but nothing to spend it on.

For clothing, apparel and drapery we now depend almost entirely on imports from the United States —which, with the high rate of exchange, are very exnensive to land. But people are quite willing to pay almost anything to get what they want.

It is expected that cocoa exports from the Territory will increase, owing to large areas of native cocoa plantations coming into bearing in all the districts of Upolu and Savaii. This is one of the reasons for the gradual decrease of banana pro duction, as many European and Samoan planters have inter-planted their bananas with cocoa, and are giving up banana cultivations as the cocoa comes into bear ing.

Native banana-growers in Western Samoa will benefit by the recent decision of the Administration, to increase the nrice of exported fruit by 6d. per case.

They will now receive a clear 5/6 per case—cases and transport to the wharf are free to native exporters. European growers, on the other hand, have the expense of both cases and transnort.

Apart from cocoa, copra and bananas, smaller quantities of other products have been exported—taro, yams, bananas, and vegetables (to American Samoa), paw paws, avocadoes, pineapples, charcoal, desiccated coconut, hides, tomatoes, and native curios (mainly basket ware) to New Zealand.

The price of bananas shipped to New Zealand has been increased from 5/- to 5/6 per case.

While sufficient supplies of flour and sugar and canned meats are available for local consumption, there are at present shortages of rice (Australian), matches and canned fish, which are staple lines of native consumption. Gasoline and kerosene are strictly rationed, and per mits for essential services have to be obtained from the Food Controller, Mr.

D. R. Eden. While the residents of Apia are mostly using' electric light provided by the Hydro-Electric Scheme, Europeans and natives in outside districts are hard hit.

Mr. R. Crompton, CBE, KC, has been re-appointed to the Executive Council of Fiji, for a further term of two years.