Foreign Aid Grows For Western Samoa

Western Samoa

Per capita , Western Samoa was receiving more aid from he United Nations now than any other country in the world, IN special adviser Mr. Harry Spence said in Apia in June.

E appealed to the Samoans to utilise their own resources to full. lr, Spence has been on a three k visit to western Samoa recently developmental discussions with ials following the UN-sponsored ;e-Lauterbach survey of the loan economy. Main points of r report were released in May Vl y June, p. 33). [e announced that at the request :he Samoan Government and the five engineers and a cabinet :er would work for the Samoan lie Works Department under a dish aid programme.

Aid from Sweden he men would come from Sweden their salaries would be paid by :den. One of the men was married a statistician who would also be jloyed in Apia under the aid pro nme, lr. Spence said other experts due arrive soon, under UN sponsor ), were a teachers’ training cialist, an economist and a public Ith expert.

After a solid 17 months of pre ss since independence, the point been reached when decisions have be made. These decisions will de nine whether Samoa will move ad or not,” said Mr. Spence, dr. Spence said that some of the isions would be difficult to make.

Development will no doubt clash h established tradition, and recog on that there must be flexibility essential if progress is desired. We i salvage all the good things of social sliucture if we are flexible,” said.

Mr. Spence said he expected the development programme to “really get under way” next year, ana added that although finan cial and techni cal assistance from outside was necessary, the basic develop

ment would have to be achieved by the Solomons themselves.

“The country must show it is utilising its present resources to the full,” he said.

Sir Leon's Views

Speaking to the Royal Over-Seas League at Inver cargill, New Zea land, in late May, the NZ Minister for Island Terri tories and Internal Affairs, Sir Leon Gotz, said that since indepen dence, Western Samoa was now more dependent

on NZ than ever before in its history.

Sir Leon said it seemed when in dependence was granted the Samoans that they were capable of handling their own affairs. Personally he did not think they were ready for the change but there was a certain agita tion for independence.

Today in independent Samoa there were more than twice the number of NZ civil servants than there were before independence was granted.

Political Advice The country leaned to such an ex tent on NZ bankers that he did not think Samoan finances could be run without them, and as well Samoa re lied on financial and political advice from NZ.

Were it not for the NZ Govern ment’s assistance he doubted very much whether the Samoans could handle their own external affairs sat isfactorily.

“I think this talk of independence is farcical,” he said.

Sir Leon added there was much talk in the world of the “evils of imperialism”, but he knew of no countries which had been British de pendencies and which had not bene fited from the intrusion of the British.

[?]st Samoa's Prime [?]inister Mataafa,

Sir Leon Gotz.