Island Residents Get

Away From Nz At Last

Flate July, the Union Steamships Company vessel Matua, carry ing a full union crew, made her first passenger run out of Auckland since February. She called at Suva, Tonga, West Samoa, etc.

With scratch crews Matua has made two trips to the islands recently, but no passengers were carried.

As a consequence of the long hold-up, of Matua and Maui Pomare, which services the Cook Islands, hundreds of Islands residents have been stranded in New Zealand There are long waiting lists for passages on both shins and pre ference is being given to Island resi dents urgently requiring to return home.

After her August run, Matua will be withdrawn for annual survey and will again be off the run for a month or six weeks.

The Public Service Commissioner of Western Samoa reports that the standard of education of local applicants for positions in the Public Service has greatly improved lately, owing to students, educated and trained in New Zealand, now returning to Samoa. Local people have been filling increasingly re sponsible positions for a number of years. Local-born officers are now m charge of the Postal and Customs departments which now have fully local staffs. J