Fighting American

Governor

Goes To Washington

THE very energetic new Governor of American Samoa, Mr.

Phelps Phelps, who took over from the Navy Department only re

cently, is next month going back to Washington, to protest against the cuts that have been made in his

appropriations.

As soon as the United States com mitted itself to the enormous cost of stem re- armament all finances were revised and the Eastern Samoa budget was cut to 400,000 dollars less than it was under the Navy; and since then it has had a further reduction.

The Governor says the removal of the naval station has removed also an important source of revenue for the Samoans— they worked in various ways for the Navy. Now, the whole 17,000 of them must de pend for their needs upon the ex port of 2,000 tons of copra per annum. Unless there is a sympa thetic revision of the figures, the whole economy of the Territory will be dislocated.

He is especially anxious to pro ceed with programmes of educa tion and health; and he emphasises that the loyalty of the Samoans (demonstrated by the presence of Samoan soldiers in Korea, and re markable Samoan contributions to the American Red Cross) must not be weakened.

The engagement has been an nounced of Miss Margaret Florence Heape, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. B.

Heape of Port Moresby, Papua, to Mr. George R. Whitmarsh.