Gun In Seeking Big

Samoan Jumps The Gun In Seeking Big U.S. Aid Handout

The US State Department has

expressed sympathy with a

Western Samoan’s request that the United States should provide $3O million a year for the next 10 years for the economic de velopment of Savaii and the rest of Western Samoa.

THE Samoan who made the request wrote recently direct to President Kennedy.

He is Vaiinupo Galumalemana Ala’ilima, who lives in the United States.

He claimed to represent the “lords, princes and chiefs” of Savaii, and maintained that the United States had a moral and legal obligation to assist Western Samoa, because, in 1900, the US annexed Tutuila without compen sation to Western Samoa.

He pointed out that Savaii was badly lacking in education, health, roads, sewerage, lighting, etc., and did not have sufficient finance for ade quate agricultural and economic de velopment.

He said that not one cent, of America’s $400,000 million for over seas aid was earmarked for Western Samoa and that even requests by Prime Minister Mataafa last year for Peace Corps assistance had not been approved.

In expressing sympathy for the request, a State Department official said that his Government preferred to act between governments.

The official said that a report on Samoan agriculture was now being studied and when this study was complete it was hoped that some assistance might be provided.

In Apia, the Samoan Government was not very happy about the whole thing and officials were reluctant to comment on the letter.

Savaii leaders have shown themselves to be aggressively independent and willing to go ahead with their own development plans at a much quicker pace than the central Govern-

ment seems prepared to adopt, News of the letter to President Kennedy seemed to indicate that a major political and geographical split was in the offing.

However, it turned out that Galu malemana had jumped the gun and was not the Savaii representative at all.

Leading Savaii spokesman, Luama nuvae Eti, said that Galumalemana had visited Savaii during a holiday from the US earlier this year.

He addressed a representative meet ing of chiefs there for over three hours on development and asked for confirmation of his appointment as their representative in the US. (Over)

Prime Minister Mataafa.

Luamanuvae said the meeting asked for time to consider this, but to date his appointment had not been confirmed.

“We are not anarchists,” said Lua manuvae. “We do not want to create bad feeling or distrust among Samoa’s leaders that could affect the political, social and economic development of this country as a whole.”

He added that he thought it was a good thing that Samoa’s need for aid should be more widely known, but felt that approaches for aid should be made through the proper channels.

The Salelologa district, where Lua manuvae lives, is still not satisfied with the Government decision to build a deep water harbour at Asau.

The district committee is still wait ing on a report from US engineers on the relative costs involved in building harbours at Asau and Salelologa.

Earlier this year, Prime Minister Mataafa was reported to have told Salelologa they could go ahead with their harbour scheme on their own if they desired.

OFF TO EUROPE: Octogenarian Mr.

R. P. Berking, of Apia, Western Samoa, left Samoa in September with his wife, daughter and son, for a holiday in Europe. Mrs.

Berking will remain in Germany with the two youngsters while they finish their education; but RPB will be back in early 1964 in what he describes as "the best little country in the whole word".

This is not a bad tribute to the very new State of Western Samoa from one of its oldest European residents! Mr. Berking is seen above with a "friend" in front of his plantation bungalow near Apia.