Reparation Estates
p. 75 · Read in the full issue
West Samoa's
Are Big Business
JOME interesting details of New B Zealand Reparation Estates of f Western Samoa are given in the .954-55 Island Territories Report ecently published.
Consisting of Ger m a n-owned ilantations taken over in World Vav I, the original area was 113,560 lores, but because of population ressure and for other reasons, 0,315 acres have been since dis osed of. The Estates now consist f 11,519 acres under cultivation, 5,363 acres of unimproved bush md, mostly valueless, and 5,363 cres under lease to individual snants. through the years all profits •541,000) have been expended upon bnomic and social development I the territory. This money nanced Samoa College construc on, other educational buildings, jspital buildings, X-ray plant, fadings, the rhinoceros beetle cam lign, the establishment of the badcasting station, and the pro sion of scholarships for the educa )n of Samoans overseas.
The Estates’ assets total about ,000,000; they are the largest in vidual employers of labour, with regular pay roll of 1,600 Samoans id 600 more on casual employment.
Production in the last financial ar included 2,063 tons of copra »rth £126,391; 450 tons of cocoa ans worth £142,752; 94,468 super it of timber worth £7,128; and 24 cattle worth £29,748. The tates showed an overall profit of 1,000 as compared with £101,506 the previous year.
Big plantings of coconuts, cocoa, d coffee are under way. There )uld be 130 acres under coffee by i end of 1955. About 38 acres of )enan coffee are expected to ne into bearing next year. Ten ; es of Arabian coffee has been abhshed. Processing machinery now on order.
experimental cross-breeding of
)u-Hereford cattle is continuing.
Jsent herds consist of 2,000 r f£ orc ?. and cross-bred stock the 3 000 acres of grazing land tg at the 1,000-2,000-ft level and wn as the Aleisa Cattle Estate, facilitate the droving of cattle pi Aleisa to Mulifanua across untamous country, as required seasonal climatic conditions, a is being surveyed, f Mulifanua, a secondary in- S ° a ! ed on coir fibre is being rrS ed - ® esides fibre, ?* al ' and coconut-shell flour, h ‘ n the manufacture of plastics, DroH^° dU^ d u p °tash-rich dust Products will be used as fertiliser.