West Samoa’s Primary

Industries In Flourishing Condition News and Notes From the Territory

From Our Own Correspondent APIA, July 31.

AFTER the abnormally heavy rains that Western Samoa experienced during the wet season, the dry season has at last arrived and pleasant cool evenings and nights are a welcome change from S the oppressively hot weather of the past few months. Owing to the excessive rains, the cocoa crop during the first half of the current year has been disap pointing although fair quantities of Samoan sundried cocoabeans are still coming in from Savai’i where cocoa pro ' duction is increasing rapidly. Planters expect, however, a prolific cocoa crop towards the end of the year.

Prices obtained lately vary from £230 to £270 per ton f.o.b. with the USA market relatively inactive and the United King dom and Mediterranean countries showing more interest in Samoan cocoabeans.

During June-July, the SS Roybank lifted 1,353 tons of copra at Apia, the MS Thor took 237 tons of cocoa consigned to USA and the Matua 10,066 cases of bananas, 1,061 cases of desiccated coco nut and 71 tons of cocoabeans.

BUILDING activities by the Govern ment as well as by private enterprise are continuing on a large scale in and outside Apia. The attractive new business premises of Messrs. Morris, Hed strom, Ltd., and the new Methodist Church are nearing completion.

The Fuluaseu Hydro-Electric Scheme, which is to supply Apia and neighbour hood with sufficient power for all public, industrial and private needs is about half completed and should be in operation about October. For the first time since 1939, Apia will have a complete street lighting service which will greatly improve the appearance of Samoa’s capital city.

MANY complaints are heard about the lack of sufficient passenger facilities to New Zealand on the MV Matua, which is at present fully booked out until May-June, 1951. Passenger accommoda tion on the Matua is wholly insufficient for the steadily increasing passenger traffic from Samoa, Fiji and Tonga and return. It has been suggested that the Union SS Company may send a special passenger vessel to Samoa to take away the 300 passengers now awaiting passages and bring here the large number of pas sengers booked in Auckland. There is, but to a lesser degree, also a congestion of freight at both ends.

AN agricultural census is being taken at present in the Territory in order to obtain valuable data on agricul tural production and to explore avenues to increase productivity.

POLITICALLY there has not been much activity lately following the South Pacific Conference; the visit of Mr. Doidge, NZ Minister of External Affairs; the Budget Session of the Legis lative Assembly; and the visit of the United Nations mission. The various departmental committees of the Legis lative Assembly are, however, holding their regular monthly meetings.