For Western Samoans

[?]aluable Asset

[?]Aration Estates Make Handsome Profits

ZEALAND Reparation

ates, Western Samoa, which ing the Depression years sgarded as something of a >ne, have in recent years into the Big Business class. iated profit for the financial nding March 31, 1956, is , as compared with £158,247 previous year, according to Z Department of Island •ies Report for the 1955-56 st published. ofits from the Estates, which largest employers of labour tern Samoa, go to Samoan ment and welfare, iction figures and values for with those of the previous brackets, were as follows: 1,859 tons worth £110,841 ons worth £126,468). : 466 tons worth £106,064 is worth £130,248). iv: 239,080 sq. ft. worth (94,249 sq. ft. worth £7,598). s: 1,837 slaughtered, worth (2,022 worth £29,376). is an active coconut f project in hand. At 50 acres more land was id, bringing the total of unbearing coconut areas > 150 acres. At Vailele 200 ave been replanted in the 0 years. Further extension > halted by the needs of :razing. Cattle cannot be on newly planted areas as estroy the young palms, ire in hand for further n of new coconut plantat -100 acres at Afia, 50 acres and 100 acres at Vaipapa, se will be planted this year, eports say that the cocoa ill from £S3BS per ton in 555, to £Bl9O by March this le end of the year under The by-product, cocoa sed in the manufacture of nine, fell from £65 to £3O in the period. (Not much of this latter product from mrces), 100 acres of land, partly d rubber trees, at Tafaigata, m cleared and is being in a leguminous crop ory to planting cocoa. At 10 acres of virgin land was ready for cocoa. About 100 new plantings came into in this area, increasing 1 of that particular planta in 86i to 120 tons in the der review. iuction of the famous ocoa clone has been speeded the establishment of a new and another clone, obtained from Fiji in

1954, and originally frcm Trinidad, is well established.

The increased world price for

rubber was taken advantage of bv ?bi 6 rH ing f tapping about one third of a 710-acre young rubber plantation at Magia. Planted 8 years ago, only selected trees were tapped and only three tons of rubber produced and sold to a New Zealand rubber company.

Timber operations were hampered by wet weather and mechanical breakdowns of equipment.

The cattle herd at Mulifanua

1 11,140 head, of which 1,837 aughtered for meat.

Estates now have 144 acres e, made up as follows: At nato 38 acres of Liberian, ‘to first bearing about now; sega 25 acres of Liberian, aring this 1956-57 season; at three acres of Liberian and es of Arabian; at Aigaile-tai is of Liberian; at Faleata cres of Arabian: at Vailele s of Liberian. Machinery i order from England to n time to process the first rop expected about August, opment plans for the include experimentation to pastures on the 3,000 acres sa grazing lands, and the ion of survey of another cres of bush-land on the boundaries of this holding, le building of an access tirough the area. Cross r, of four pure-bred Zebu nported from Fiji, with the i cows is progressing. The herd now numbers 2,500 Hereford and 400 head of jreford cross-breds.

Magia estate adjoining ua now comprises 710 acres er. 400 acres of cocoa, and of coffee, the latter not yet ng. Last year 60 acres of as cleared here for cocoa acres for coffee. • fibre industry will shortly blished, provision for the y machinery being provided he 195 J-57 estimates.