Money Shortage Still

The West Samoan Scene

Plagues Samoa

A News Round-up from PI M’s Apia Correspondent The steady deterioration of the country's financial state con r to occupy the minds of many citizens of Western Samoa. The ng extent of debt dodging was emphasised in February when nember of the Legislative Assembly successfully sued another for non-payment of a long-standing debt. But the Govern with its heavy commitments for maintenance and social services , Ueadily falling revenue from poor export prices, faces a more is situation than do many individuals.

<RONT page article entitled 3ow Close to Bankruptcy?” in controversial English language r The Sentinel created quite a mong top officials and politi- Exemplifying the “poor but ’ attitude common among the in elite, one politician said, article may be absolutely true, e don’t want the rest of the to know we are going bank resent trends continue, claimed el editor R. F. Rankin in the , Western Samoa will be bank >efore the end of the year. He d out that to meet the budget last year, the Government was to sell £175,000 of its re , which have now dwindled to £500,000, and, according to ial authorities, unless there is nge in conditions, the country : ace a trade deficit of about )00 this year. iming that a much more posi policy than the cutting of is and sacking of public ser was necessary, he quoted 1 recent expert opinions on the potential of Western Samoa sked why, in spite of this vast ial, was Western Samoa on the of bankruptcy. tiy,” he asked, “in a land of un /ealth, are public servants once facing the threat of salary cuts ismissals, and the people facing ions of their already meagre and education services?” plain unwelcome fact, he was that the Government had pplied itself to the solution of roblem and had failed to draw id put into effect any policy ated to ensure the steadily im ig standard of living of the

people whose interests it was sup posed to serve.

The answer lies in enlightened, decisive and imaginative policy mak ing and leadership, aware of the necessity and ways and means of exploiting Samoa’s potential, and capable of bringing about this de velopment in the quickest possible way. If this policy and leadership fail to appear within the next few months, even the most optimistic ob servers can be nothing but sanguine about the future welfare of Samoa,” he said.

Government spokesmen claim the criticism is unfair and point to the recently released report of the Economic Development Committee.

But out of this report no policy has

yet been adopted and no specific pro ject approved.

The Government’s difficulties are amplified by poor public relations and the reluctance of politicians and offic j a i s to tSL f ree l y to the Press.

Bank Monopoly

one bank with a complete Vy monopoly of the credit facilities of a country play a successful part in the development of a country or does such monopoly lead to a stranglehold and stagnation of the economy?

Western Samoa has one bank—the Bank of Western Samoa—of which 45 per cent, of the shares are owned by the Samoan Government and 55

Apia's growing population has finally out stripped school facilities, posing new problems for Samoa's Education Minister Tuatagaloa Teo, above.

Two international visitors in Apia's famous harbour recently-the Tongan ship on the left, and the American schooner Yankee Yankee has a party of 22 aboard and is making a two-year round-the-world cruise. In February she was in Honiara, BSIP.

per cent., and consequently the directlon, lie with the Bank of New Zealand.

Any number of businessmen and planters who have felt the cold hand of the credit squeeze would agree that the Bank of Western Samoa does indeed have a stranglehold on the economy; and enough people needing finance for projects certain of success, and with ample security, have been turned away from the Bank over the past twelve months, to , P e( ?Pl e wonder just what the bank s role might be.

A local newspaper dared to voice these criticisms, and suggested that the best thing for Samoa’s economy would be for another Bank to set up business in Apia.

Within half an hour of the news paper reaching the streets an irate bank officer was on the phone to one of the directors of the newspaper company implying that this wasn’t the sort of journalism likely to gain further financial assistance from the Bank if it were required. So much for monopoly! inrAIC TAI/ rwim

Locals Take Over

A FEW years ago, department heads in the Samoan Public Service were almost without excep tion seconded officers. The trend is now rapidly changing, and with the appointment in February of 39-year old R. V. Meredith as Commissioner of Inland Revenue, there are now no less than eight local-born depart

mental heads. They are V. Brel Customs; F. Thomsen, Justice Moore, Broadcasting; Eh-. H. Thi Health; V. Alailima, Public Sei E. Betham, Post Office and R R. Meredith, Inland Revenue an Philipp, Police.

In addition, section heads ai Devoe, Fire Brigade; and Ai Enari, Lands & Titles Court.

All of these men have at i time been on special training to New Zealand and the Public vice is being constantly strength by “crash” training programmes by New Zealand, in New Zealanc senior Samoan public servants.

May Import Vegetables

IT may sound like carrying co Newcastle but head of the To Produce Board, Adolph Johan sees a good market in Samoa Tongan fruit and fresh vegeti He was on a visit during Feb to survey the market in Apia said he got a very good resi from local businessmen who nov port largely from New Zealanc “The best market seems to b peanuts,” he said. “But Tonga also supply tomatoes, celery, beetroot, carrots, English cab lettuce, cauliflower, cucumber, 3 potatoes and watermelons, al which find a ready sale in Samo “Our aim will be to supply good quality produce and we achieve this by Government in tion and control of exports,” he Beautiful tomatoes, cabbage cauliflower can be grown in Si but like so many other things should be plentiful here, they hard to find.

Problems Of Sex

THE often free and easy » morality of the Polyn Islands has long been exploits novelists, and latterly by t agents. This tolerance also exten homosexuality and the highligl hilarity at an Apia party is nol commonly a siva or hula by “girls”.

Although there have been a paratively large number of vii with unusual interests over r years, homosexuality does not sent any major police problem, Superintendent of Police A, Ph when questioned about reports c creased activity in this direction.

“Unlike New Zealand and Br sodomy in Samoa carries a gaol tence, but in fact the law is onl; forced in flagrant abuses and have been only two or three cas this nature heard in the last tv years,” he said.

The Superintendent said that

m, however, was the cause of it deal of official concern, and >ecoming increasingly common, ally in outside villages where were finding themselves power ) control it. girl will elope with a younger nd no sooner do the matai get back than she will be off with tr girl,” he said, anwhile in certain villages many e boys are too occupied with boys to worry about the girls.

Tage Of Schools

I rapidly growing population of now around 20,000, has r outstripped school facilities accommodation. This year the Tom which permanent residents send their children to the Apia iry School was made con bly smaller and parents outside »oundary have been told they build their own schools, tside Apia, parents have to build schools and feed the teacher, ipia parents claim that with no las, cocoa or coconuts they find rd enough to make ends meet in a cash economy without g to also build their schools, spite of delegations to the Prime ter, Minister of Education Tua >a Teo, and Director of Educa te. Williams, Cabinet is adamant here is no more room at Apia )1 and that if they want educa for their children, outside ts must build their own schools, e Government is however pro i land.

The Government has plans for an Intermediate school to serve the whole Apia area but as far as primary education goes the respon sibility will lie with parents.

A complication is added, for Apia Primary School has a seconded headmaster and a number of New Zealand-trained former scholarship students on the staff, and as the only predominantly English-speaking Gov ernment primary school, it admits children from English-speaking homes of discrimination, and the Minister has discretionary powers in admitting English-speaking children from out side the area.

Meanwhile as Mission schools, too, are filled up, the Government per

sists in its policy of restricting the number of teachers that they may bring in from overseas. This was in stituted several years ago, largely as a result of pressure from other mis sions against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mor mons), which is making rapid gains in converts and has a very modem and extremely well-equipped school at Pesega with smaller education centres elsewhere.

Another Japanese Visit

WESTERN Samoa has had Jap anese students and scientists en gaged in anthropological studies around the islands for more than

jars. Now word has been re that yet another Japanese team to arrive in Western Samoa ay during the first week of is a special five-member radio V reporting team sent by the Broadcasting Corporation ) to survey the South Pacific, ing from Japan, Director S. aki says, “We want to investi id record Samoan life, culture ture from the point of view of jology and ecology, lay most Japanese believe that cestors of the Japanese race Prom overseas. Half of them Prom the North Western part i, and the rest came from the Pacific. ; lives, customs, religion, craft ;, music and language of the se people have many common with the South Pacific people.” team hopes to record, and raph on 16 mm movie film, facets of Samoan life includ aditional songs and dances, customs, ceremonies, daily Dd natural life and vegetation.

Ie Sport Front

TERN Samoan rugby players e looking forward to the visit •ch of a team from New Zea epresenting Waikato Maoris. 5 players and officials of the : group will be billeted by •esidents and the tourists will ive matches against Samoan ntative and club teams, y of the tourists were among aori team that was sent on a p the Islands as a sop to their :nce by the New Zealand Union when Maoris were ex from the All Black team tour uth Africa. ither sports, tennis players are r beginning practice for the “International” between ;an Samoa and Western Samoa, ear the matches will be held o Pago over Easter. cricketers are enjoying the ;xciting series for many years 3ur teams, Agriculture, Police, and Nelson’s battling it out ictuating fortunes for top •s among the 10 teams partici-