Why Samoa Wants

Freer Trade

Apia, Nov. 30.

COMMENTING on protests from New Zealand and elsewhere, against the abolition of the British Preferential Tariff in Western Samoa a spokesman for

business interests in Samoa had, in summary, this to say:— It was the general wish of the Trusteeship Council of the United Nations that this action be taken.

The decision was arrived at by leaders of the Samoan advisory body after consultation with a wide cross-section of the population and business interests there.

Removal of preference will have little or no effect on British ex porters, as customers are reluctant to abandon produce which they have used over a long period and with which they are familiar.

It would be unfair to continue discrimination against the United States, which is a very large and consistent buyer of Samoan cocoa.

The opinion is widely held in Samoa that the present high cost of living in Samoa could be reduced by obtaining Samoa’s requirements

from the cheapest possible sources Samoa has for years sold its copra at less than world prices to Britain under contract, and New Zealand also has been supplied with all her copra needs at those same low prices. It is not Samoa’s fault or responsibility that British sources cannot offer many lines at prices comparable with the goods supplied from USA, Hong Kong, India, Germany, etc.

New Zealand’s imports from Samoa last year totalled £190,000, which is only a small part of the total value of Samoan exports (£1,778,000); so why should NZ expect preferential treatment? Pro duce from NZ (not re-exports) will be unaffected by the change.

Shipping services from New Zea land to Samoa are a commercial proposition, and would not be operating unless they are yielding profits. Such services from NZ operated long before the preferen tial tariff was introduced.

Samoa is self-sustaining at the present time and can easily con tinue to be so in the forseeable future.

Samoa is dissatisfied with the shipping services from NZ and Britain, but has no desire to intro duce outside competition if the existing services are improved.

It is not considered that trade with Japan will increase, after abolition of the tariff, to an extent that would warrant the Japanese

providing a direct shipping com nection to Samoa.