W. Samoa Ships Large

Quantities Of Copra

Prom Our Own Correspondent

Apia, Aug. 12.

THE fact that the “Matua” was delayed a fortnight by the wharf labourers' dispute in Auckland has made sup plies of essential foodstuffs in Apia run low again. “Matua” is expected to arrive in Apia on or about the 15th; she has on board a large shipment of English goods transhipped at Suva fr’om, the “Taranaki.” In addition to the Matua, three more overseas steamers are expected at the end of the month to pick up copra and cocoa.

The arrival of ships to load copra is welcomed by Apia merchants. At the present time copra storage sheds here are filled to capacity.

Copra cutting has recently speeded up, the incentive being a recent rise m the local copra price, which now stands at £46/14/- per ton f.o.b.

The Apia price paid to producers for small quantities is 25/9 per 100 lb.

The “Bulletin de Commerce” of Nou mea recently announced that a regional meteorological station is being installed at Noumea, under the direction of M.

Mangeney, engineer of the French Meteorology Corps, who from Paris a few months ago. The French Government is behind the undertaking and will pay for installation and upkeep.

M. Mangeney has worked for six years in Equatorial Africa. The Noumea sta tion will be on top of a hill at the Fau bourg Blanchot (suburb overlooking Magenta) on ground made available by the municipality. It will use modern French equipment, including radar and will operate day and night, issuing fore casts and bulletins useful to aircraft, shipping and agriculture. It is expected that six assistants will be recruited this vear Noumea will thus become ah important link in the meteorological chain in the South and South-West Pacific.