NZ Trade Regulations

for Samoa “Turnover Tax" Hits Big Firms

From Our Own Correspondent APIA, April 15.

COINCIDING with a considerable trade decrease in Western Samoa, the war emergency regulations already in force in New Zealand (regu lating all imports and exports, and pro viding for special import licences), have now been introduced into the Territory.

A special Import Control Officer has been appointed and all import licences have to be approved by licensing officers.

At the same time, “Foreign Currency Regulations” have been announced.

Under these, all foreign currency, shares, securities, etc., owned by the inhabitants of the Territory have to be declared and offered to the Administration for con version into Samoan currency. The regu lations aim mainly at the large amounts of USA currency now in the hands of Europeans and Samoans. Strange to say, a rumour has been current amongst the Samoans, for some time, that there is a possibility that the value of the Ameri can dollar, which stands at present at 6/- Samoan, will drop. Consequently, the Samoans are frantically trying to get rid of the dollars they have hoarded.

Prospects for the cocoa industry have improved of late, with better weather conditions and a satisfactory offering of plantation labour. The cocoa price, which dropped for several months past to £65 per ton, has now improved, too: £BO per ton is now offered, for hot-air dried plan tation cocoa.

Though the banana industry is still suffering from a period of labour short age and consequent neglect of planta tions, Europeans and Samoans, respond ing to appeals from the Administration, are now beginning to clean and replant their holdings. It is hoped that the pre sent small exports of the fruit to New Zealand will, in a few months, again reach normal proportions. If the New Zealand Government can see its way clear to increase the purchasing rate in accordance with the higher cost of living in the Territory, it should hasten this return to normalcy.

THE Administration, with the unani mous consent of the Samoan Legis lative Council, has imposed a new and higher “Turnover Tax” on the busi ness establishments of Western Samoa and made this tax retrospective for the past “boom” year. The new tax pro vides for a rate of h per cent, for a turn over up to £3,000, increasing by 5 hundred thousandth per £ for all turnover above £3,000, and reaching a maximum of 5 per cent, for a turnover of £93,000. Thus the larger business concerns are hit much harder than the smaller firms.

Protests by the Apia Chamber of Com merce against the conditions and the rate of the new tax were unavailing.

The death of Mr. C. W. Southey, a resident of the Ba district, Fiji, for 42 years, occurred in Rawawai hospital on March 9. With the exception of some years when he took over Navata estate on his own account, he was with the CSR Company for the whole of his residence in the Colony. He had a wide circle of friends and is survived by his widow and the following children: Mrs.

Robinson, of Suva; Mr. R. Southey, of CSR Co., Nausori; Mr. Jack Southey, marine engineer; Mrs. Fawcett, of Auck land; Mr. C. Southey, of the Public Works Department, Fiji; and Mrs.

Owens, of Ba.