You Drink Only On A Points System In W. Samoa

Written for PIM by Sarong

THE average man likes a drink of beer in the evening, after a hot day, and he also likes the thought of refreshment during the week-end, when relaxing after the week’s toil.

The thought of a drink in con genial company after the game of his choice —bowls, or golf, or tennis —sustains him during the after noon, and adds to his enjoyment of the play.

Even the prospect of a few beers, without any byplay, adds pleasure to life in the tropics.

But, here in Western Samoa, no such pleasant thoughts may be in dulged. The liquor-permit laws ef fectively cloud such rosy visions.

Instead, the average man wonders •whether he will ever be able to smell beer again; whether Jock Smith will loan him some beer, or a bottle of Scotch for a little celebration he •would like to hold. He thinks with regret and longing of the old days, where there were no such limits on jhis manner of life.

These liquor laws had their ori gin in the period just after World War I, when this Territory was handed to New Zealand under man date.

It is required that every person who wants liquor must submit his request to the Liquor Board for consideration. The Board then fixes the ration to be authorised, and issues what is called to-day, rather incomprehensibly, a Medical Liquor Permit. This entitles one to so many points of value in liquor a month, the ration being based on a fairly regular standard.

The single man is allowed 36 points; the married couple, up to 60; and so on up the scale progressively for the more important members of the community and people’s repre sentatives.

The exchange value of the points per bottle descend from /L 2, for Scotch whisky and brandy, to 4 for wines and 1 for beer.

The majority of the permit hol ders lie in a 36-48 points bracket, and in this group is well-founded .and universal dissatisfaction.

As they stand, the liquor laws autocratically decide who shall drink, and how much, without con sidering the individual, his needs, or his capacity as a host or a drinker. To the European, this un equal and illogical system seems petty and irritating and wholly un necessary.

Originally, the laws were devised rand applied with the best inten tions. Control over liquor supplies to the natives of Samoa and Fiji is necessary, as the people have not

yet reached a proper balance in' their attitude toward this commodity of our civilisation. But, with the example of the excellent liquor laws of Fiji before us, we Europeans in Samoa insist that our liquor 9ontrol system is out of date and without justification for contmuance m its present form.

Another important factor to be considered is the impression made upon visitors to Samoa. They soon discover that liquor is available, but not to them. That does not assist the valuable tourist industry.

An old and honoured New Caledonian, long resident in Prance, has been paying a visit to the Colony in. which he once played a leading part as councillor general and muni cipal councillor, and as one of the founders and first managers of the canning works at Mueo and Nemeara which set the Colony's cattle industry on its feet. He is Monsieur J. P. Pinelli, who also was once active as founder and director of the leading timber company, the Cie Forestiere Caledonienne, which exploited Kauri forests in the south, also of the Societe de I’Oregon and the Societe G Lietard et Pinelli. It is 26 years since he left New Caledonia.

A company known as the Societe Cooperative Agricole et de Consom mation has been formed at Santo.

Directors are Messrs. R. Coulon, Charles Graziani and J. My.

Sandy Creek Gold Sluicing Ltd., New Guinea, in June, got approxi mately 123 oz 10 dwt from 10,666 cubic yards treated.