Build-Up In

Further UN Build-Up In Samoa

From An Apia Correspondent

The major delay in the imple

mentation of Western Samoa’s

five-year development plan has

been removed with the arrival of senior development economist Andrew Gerakas, a UN ap

pointee.

MR. GERAKAS comes from Hawaii where he has had a wide experience in government and private economic planning.

His appointment follows the re commendation of the Lauterbach- Stace report that the United Nations’ help be sought to secure an econo mist to act as Director of Economic Development.

Mr. Gerakas will head a secretariat directly responsible to the Minister of Economic Development for maintain ing the progress and continuity of de velopment measures. There is already quite a build-up of UN people here.

The Government envisages the im plementation of a full scale five-year development programme next year.

“There are many roads economic development can take and the most successful is that which has the co operation and support of the people.

The immediate task is to determine which direction the people themselves wish to take,” said Mr. Gerakas shortly after his arrival in Apia.

He thought Western Samoa had great potential and that the Lauter bach-Stace report was a “very com petent piece of work”, which together with special studies would act as a guide towards development.

OAMOA is pretty well inured to the colossal cheek of wandering journalists who after a few days so journ in Apia foist upon their gullible readers an authoritative survey of the Samoan scene.

But when an influential and re spected newspaper such as the Auck land Star publishes a damaging (to Samoan eyes) article on Samoa a lot of people here find it hard to under stand.

The article in question, written by Noel Holmes, was entitled “Financial Angle of Independence” and appeared in the Star on March 19 and was re printed in Samoana on April 1.

In the article Holmes predicted that about a quarter of the £250,000 Samoan national loan would be filled, drawing the inference “that the Samoana drew a shrewd line between political independence and financial independence. “That is, they’re happy to be calling the tune but politely ex pect New Zealand to pay the piper.”

After a superficial and inaccurate account of Samoa’s export position and land tenure Holmes concluded, . . The Samoans, who love pipes, smoke mainly American pipe tobacco, and the bars sell only Aus tralian beer.

“Recalling New Zealand’s financial aid. it makes you wonder whether we might not adopt a tougher line on the question of Samoan imports be fore we guarantee the next loan.”

In fact the national loan was over subscribed by £92,000; the best selling tobacco by far is NZ “Greys” and NZ beer is popular and sells well among local drinkers.

With New Zealand guaranteeing the £1,000,000 harbour loan, and an extension of NZ educational aid be ing sought, there was concern in Samoa that the article might swing public opinion in New Zealand against Samoa at a time when sup port was vitally needed.

“The article is complete nonsense, but damaging just the same,” said New Zealander R. Reynolds, who runs a large cattle plantation in Savaii.

“Eighteen months ago I agree things did not look too good but now the future looks much brighter.”

When Minister of Finance G. F.

D. Betham was approached for com ment he said, “I think Samoana dealt with it very nicely.”

In its weekly “I Say . . column Samoana had this to say.

“New Zealand journalists are gen

erally regarded as being at the top of their profession and NZ newspapers are among the best in the world.

Anyone reading the report on Samoa by one of the Auckland Star’s top writers, Noel Holmes, would find this hard to believe.

“As a summary of some of the myths picked up after a few days se clusion in the bar of Aggie Grey’s hotel it is good writing, but in pur porting to be a knowledgeable survey of Samoa’s attitude to finance and New Zealand aid, the report is, as events proved, completely wrong.” lIJ’E AN WHILE the six-man New Zealand parliamentary delega

tion, while not leaving the impression that it was made up of any particu larly great intellects at least on the Government side, passed through Western Samoa on its way to the Cook Islands.

With Samoa’s traditional sympathy towards Labour since the more en lightened Islands’ policy of the Labour regime from 1935 on, the three Labour members seemed to get across better to the local people than their opposite numbers. The “ap proachability” and intelligent ques tioning of Maori member Rata went down particularly well with the locals.

Talk with members of the party

left the impression that they were well satisfied with what they saw of Samoan progress (and they saw more of schools, roads and bridges than they did of people), and that New Zealand educational aid, currently amounting to about £BO,OOO yearly, would continue, as would the pre ferential quota for Samoan bananas.

The party was made up of Mr. G.

A, Walsh (leader), Sir Leslie Munro and Mr. D. S. Thomson, all of the Government, and Messrs. W. A. Fox, R. Tizard and M. Rata (Labour).

WITH the gaoling of the Chief Pharmacist and the dismissal of the Government Printer there is a general feeling around Apia that not before time there is a general tighten ing up of discipline in the Public Service.

Laxness of discipline and unpunc tuality were two of the weaknesses in the service pinpointed by Australian administration expert Harry Elvins in his report last year. The Chief Phar macist at Apia hospital, Ovalau Bureta, was gaoled for three months for the mis-use of hospital alcohol following a Treasury and Police in vestigation.

Government Printer Frank Sprague was dismissed by Acting Public Ser vice Commissioner Tufuga S. Atoa after a PSC inquiry into six charges of misconduct as an employee of the Public Service. The charges have not been made public pending an appeal by Mr. Sprague before Chief Judge P. Molineaux.

Mr. Sprague was suspended in March after being found on the pre mises of the Apia Club during working hours.