Machinery

Creating Labour

For Western Samoa

From Our Own Correspondent APIA, August 30.

AN official of the NZ Labour and Employment Department re cently visited Western Samoa.

It is proposed to set up an Arbitra tion Board in the Territory which would be empowered to fix a mini mum wage and settle labour dis putes.

The official, Mr. H. Duncan, also studied the possibilities of forming labour unions in Samoa; these have been in existence for some time in Fiji and the Cook Islands.

Other matters investigated by Mr.

Duncan were an apprenticeship scheme and a compensation ordin ance in case of accidents or death of workers.

One of the difficulties in estab lishing a labour organisation in the Territory is the fact that a large proportion of the Samoan labour is casual labour and that the majority of labourers are employed by the Samoan Government, It is estimated that there are only about 3,000 labourers amongst a population of 85,000. However, large numbers of salaried workers, traders and clerical staff would also be affected.

Trusteeship Council missions have urged the need for labour legisla tion and the New Zealand Govern

ment and the Samoan Legislative Assembly also favour the step.

The Apia Chamber of Commerce, however, has been openly critical of any proposed labour legislation. fl Mr. Max. Haleck, well-known Pago Pago business man, returned home to American Samoa in early Sep

tember after a 15,000-mile business trip to New York and other Ameri can cities. He said that although numbers of American Samoans were still leaving Tutuila, others whom he had met in the States and Hono lulu, were homesick and keen to re turn, only the good pay holding them to their jobs there.