W. Samoan Assembly

Elegtions In April

From Our Own Correspondent

Apia, Feb. 21.

ELECTION of members for the Legis lative Assembly of Western Samoa will take place end of April 1951 and new electoral lists are now being prepared and will be published beginning of March.

The last electoral roll, in 1948, con tained a total of 1,014 names of Europeans eligible to vote. Every European over 21 years of age, man or woman, who has resided at least one full year in the Territory can vote for five European candidates. Of the 1,000 Europeans entitled to vote in 1948, 600 were men and 400 women; there were 150 full-Europeans on the roll, the rest being local-born Euro peans of mixed descent. It is expected that the new roll will contain nearly 1,500 names, as Chinese residents have, since the last election, been granted full resi dential rights and “European” status.

Of the present five European elected members only two, Mr. E. F. Paul and Mr. J. Helg, are expected to stand for re election. A number of new candidates have been mentioned but their names will be known only after the nominations close. While the 1948 election was fought more or less on party lines, as a contest between the Citizens’ Progressive Party and the Labour Party, the new candidates are standing as individuals; 11 candidates contested the 1948 election.

It is expected that most of the 12 Samoan candidates will be newcomers to the Assembly. The Samoan members of the Assembly are to be chosen by ballot of the Fono of Faipule, the Samoan Parliament of 41 members. Samoan members of the present Assembly were chosen on request of the Fono of Faipule by the Hon. Fautua, Tamasese, Malietoa and Mataafa (since deceased).