Gloomy View Of Western

Samoa’S Future

(Extract from a Private Letter from a Recent Visitor to the Territory.) ICOME more and more to the opinion that the prospective “self-govern ment” of Western Samoa is going on the rocks.

Graft and corruption are growing here; there are favoritism and money-grabbing for the few fortunate ones who can feed in the public manger.

The waste of money by the Govern ment is terrific, particularly on educa tion, roads and salaries—£7o,ooo for a small country like Western Samoa, whose exports amounted last year to some £1,300,000 in value!

The whole structure of the Govern ment is top-heavy, and is bound to topple in a few years. They have already started to draw on accumulated reserves and in a few years, particularly with produce prices dropping, they will be in the red.

I give you these private opinions of mine for what they are worth. One can not blame the new Administrator—he is the victim of circumstances he cannot control. Definitely, the state of affairs is unhealthy and the future looks any thing but bright.

The present-day Samoan does not want to work on the land and the young genera tion, with the stress on higher education, is after white-collar jobs only.

The territory seems to be crowded with New Zealand officials and their wives, who also get Government jobs here, and the promised preference for local appli cants for jobs is sabotaged most effec tively.

You may think me a Bassandra with these tales of woe—but I assure you that my views are shared by the great majority of the old European, Euronesian and wiser Samoans in the Territory. (Editorial Note: Some of the conditions described by our friend may be found, duplicated exactly, in Papua-New Guinea which, like Western Samoa, is a Trustee ship Territory run by a Socialist Do minion Government.)