A Liquor Drought

Western Samoa

Suffers

APIA, June 25.

ALTHOUGH we have record trade figures, and the Territory shows abundant signs of great pros ;r ty, the trading section of our community is suffering cruelly.

There is an acute shortage of .ot a bottle can be obtained :. ihe Government Stores at any price.

Tier our liquor laws, the New Zealand administrative authority has a complete monopoly of the liquo supply, and only persons ap pro v l by officials can receive alco

holic beverages—when there are any available. The whole system is under bitter criticism.

If Mr. and Mrs. John Trotter de parted from Suva for New Zealand on retirement at the end of June.

Mr. Trotter ends 40 years’ service in the Islands, at first as founder of the Tonga Agricultural College, then, after World War I, with Burns Philp & Co. as Manager, Haapai.

He remained with that company, going to Levuka in the early 1930’5, thence to the Suva head office of Burns Philp (SS) Co. Ltd.. w r here he eventually became General Man ager and a Director. He has been a nominated member of the Fiji

Legislative Council for the past 6 years and, later, Chairman of the Suva Chamber of Commerce. £50,000 has been allotted initially for the replacement of paper walled houses in Port Moresby.

There are 23 of these temporary dwellings. The building is to be done by the Administration Works Branch with the assistance of Native Co-operative Building- Societies. Six bungalows for Ad ministration single officers at Rabaul will be built by the United Builders Company and supervised by the Administration Works Branch. The bungalows will each provide quarters for two single officers.