Scheme Strikes

Apia Hotel

A Snag

Western Samoa’s plans for a big, new 100-room tourist hotel in Apia became slightly unstuck in late April when the Samoan Assembly refused to pass the

appropriation of £20,000 needed

for the initial planning work.

THE motion to delete the sum came from the Public Accounts Com mittee, which submitted that the trouble with the wharf project (which has run into some unexpected engineer ing difficulties) shouldn’t be repeated with the hotel; that a complete survey of Apia hotel possibilities should be made and the Assembly should have the opportunity of debating the re port; that an authority should be estab lished to negotiate for construction of the hotel.

The committee dropped a further bombshell by claiming that the Act ing Director of Economic Develop ment Secretariat, Mr. E. Stehlin, was in full agreement with its recom mendations. This was later denied by Mr. Stehlin, who told his Minister, Mr. G. F. Betham, that he was strongly against the deletion.

With the Prime Minister absent with influenza the deletion was approved by 21 votes to 19.

Assembly members claimed that they wanted more information about the project; that £20,000 was too much to pay an architect; and that they wanted an opportunity to discuss the design and site of the proposed hotel.

Mr. Betham, Minister of Economic Development, said that if the £20,000 was deleted no work at all would be

possible on the project, which was a vital part of development.

Informed sources expect the matter to come up for debate again at the next session of the Assembly. With a bit more lobbying and the presence of the Prime Minister it is fairly cer tain that the stalemate will be re solved. The House is not against the building of a hotel—the method of building it is in dispute.