Begins 1945

How Western Samoa Begins 1945

From Our Own Correspondent

Apia, Jan. 22.

IN a recent speech, hearu nere by radio, tne New Zealand Prime Minister, Mr.

Peter rraser, gave ms impressions of his recent omciai visit to Western Samoa and New Zealand’s otner dependencies in the South Pacific. He spoke of the -gen eral efficiency of New Zealand s island Administrations; of the increasing mea sure oi self-government wmch New Zea land is going to grant the Samoans; and of tne excellent educational system of Western Samoa which combines the best features of both European teaching and samoan traditional custom.

So far, however, no practical results are known to have come from the visit. rE departure of American defence units has wrought a change back to normal in the Samoan economics.

Dollar prosperity and dollar currency is gradually disappearing, and, instead, Samoans and Europeans have to take up the hard work of former times—to weed and replant plantations and be satisfied with smaller returns.

These returns are still very satisfactory, at the present prices copra and cocoa are bringing The output of copra and cocoa for 1945 may well be a record, and there fore the trade outlook is fairly good, m spite of the lower purchasing power of tne Samoans. , The Samoans naturally cannot afford the many luxuries and the European goods that tney bought freely during the dollar period. Girls whose “boys have now gone for good, cannot dress them selves up, and have already discarded shoes and stockings m order to return to the good Samoan style.

Trade in the outside districts of Upolu has dropped from one half to one Quar ter of that of the “American” period and there are far too many trading stations wmch ultimately will nave to be closed down. Trade store business is at a lower level than for several years.

A new feature of business m Samoa is in the large number of women who have been or wno are at present running their own business undertakings, stores, trading stations, boarding houses, etc.

The banana industry, lor a long time practically at a standstill, has come to life again—the natives allege that Mi.

Fraser has promised them 8/- per case for bananas, as against the 6/- paid ao present, and many districts which to date nad refused to pack and ship bananas, have therefore started to clean and spray their plantations. Prospects for increased shipments are good.

As to European plantations—there is a plentiful supply of Samoan plantation labour available and, with the good cocoa prices ruling now, the industry should recover from the neglect of the past few years and be a paying proposition agam.