Extra Grant

But They'll Still Need More Money

W. Samoa to Get an Extra Grant

The New Zealand Govern

ment has decided to make

Western Samoa grants totalling

£Stg 81,000 for specific purposes

during the current financial year

—but it only partially gets the

Territory out of its financial diffi

culties.

The Legislative Assembly, in ses sion late March, has been officially informed that the specific purposes are agricultural develop me n t including the full cost of the Avele Agricultural College, the cost of scholarships granted to Samoan children now studying in New Zealand, the cost of school journals for use in education in Samoa and half the maintenance cost of Gov ernment House up to £5,000.

On March 28 the Financial Secre tary, Mr L. M. Cook, in delivering his budget speech to the House, stressed the fact that even with the retrenchment already effected by the Government, activities can only be continued by deficit budgeting.

The need to raise additional revenue and effect further economies there fore still exists.

Total trade of the Territory

during 1957 showed a slight increase over 1956, but this increase resulted solely from the large quantity of copra carried over from the end of 1956, otherwise total trade would have shown a reduction of £200,000 from the 1956 figures.

The Estimates submitted to the Legislative Assembly provide for ordinary revenue of £947,400 and for expenditure of £1,060,800. The deficit of £113.400 will be met firstly by grants offered by the New Zealand Government amounting to £81,600 and secondly by using £31,800 of the Treasury Cash balances which were available at the beginning of the year.

The estimated receipts show a decrease of £116,000 from the actual revenue collected in 1957 due to low T er produce prices for products and the lack of any substantial in crease in the volume of exports.

In comparison with the 1957 ex penditure of £1,276,500, the estimated expenditure for 1958 has been re duced by nearly £216,000.

Capital development has been severely curtailed and no provision has been made for reading and building projects undertaken by the Public Works Department. Only projects to which the Government has already been committed, and agricultural development subsided by NZ grants will be completed.

The House was warned that this year’s grants will be unlikely to be repeated next year.

In future therefore Samoa will be forced to live strictly, within its income. . , (See “Trade Recession Talk”, p. 139)

Latest photograph of Mr. Dicky Wakeiwe, Loyalty Islands' school teacher and elected member of New Caledonia's Territorial As sembly. He is one of the delegates who will go to the Communist-controlled sector of Indo china in an effort to arrange repatriation of the 5,000 Indo-Chinese in New Caledonia. See story, page 139. —Fred Dunn.