One Million

Samoans In 100 Years?

From PlM’s Apia Correspondent If the population increase of Western Samoa continues at the present rate, in less than 100 years there will be more than one

million Samoans, according to

the Samoan census commissioner, Mr. John Wendt, who has just tabulated the results of the 1961 census. 1951 to 1956 the average A yearly rate of increase was 2.8 per cent., but from 1956-61 this jumped to 3.3 per cent., to be among the highest in the world.

“The increase is due entirely to improved health services and the maintenance of a high reproduction rate,” Mr. Weldt said, adding that the Samoan woman produces seven children, three times as many as her New Zealand counterpart.

The earliest recorded estimate of Western Samoa’s population was made by Commodore Charles Wilkes, who was in charge of the United States exploratory expedition to Samoa in 1839.

Problems Intensify

He put the population at 47,000, but, with the introduction by Euro peans of epidemics and firearms and savage political wars, this figure de clined up till the end of the nine teeth century.

A recovery continued until the influenza epidemic of 1918, in which 7,000 Samoans perished out of a total population of 35,000. Over the last 44 years the population has more than quadrupled to reach 114,427.

This rapid increase has brought with it problems that will intensify over the next few years.

Young people outnumber elders so greatly that over the next 10 years there will be nine times as many males looking for employment as there will be males retiring.

Made up of two main islands and a few islets covering altogether just over 1,000 square miles, Western Samoa has considerable potential for agricultural development.

She exports each year about £3 million worth of copra, cocoa and bananas, but 40 years ago copra

production was higher than it is to day.

Population pressure make econo mic development an urgent necessity, but lack of trained personnel and finance and apathy by villagers who see no need for extra effort when there is still a bountiful supply of food available for the plucking, make the introduction of any development programme on the scale needed a di fficult task.

A United Nations sponsored team is now making a survey of Western Samoa’s economic resources and needs, and preparing recommenda tions to the Government for fuller economic development and the se quence of steps towards this develop ment.

It appears certain that the con tinued prosperity of this first inde pendent Polynesian State will depend upon the successful implementation of these recommendations within the next two or three years.