Low-Cost Housing

Programme For

Western Samoa

From R. F. Rankin in Apia Following the lead of other Pacific territories, the Western Samoa Public Works Depart ment has begun to formulate a low-cost housing programme.

THE programme is being directed by two experienced UN tech nical experts working in association with local PWD architect, J. Lee Lo.

The UN men are Z. M. Wolak from Poland, whose town-planning pro posals have drawn high praise from visitors, and V. Jorgensen, recently arrived from Denmark.

Mr. Wolak has had experience with low-cost housing in Indonesia and North Africa. Mr, Jorgensen was engaged in similar work in Greenland and has also studied the problem widely in North Africa.

Extensive research is being under taken by Mr. Jorgensen through questionnaires and interviews on the sort of house that is wanted by the Samoans. Later research into various building materials and designs will be conducted.

When standard low-cost designs are completed, information will be avail able to the public through the Public Works Department, which will pro vide plans and advice for prospective home builders.

At first the programme will be restricted to the Apia area, but if successful it will be extended through out the country. ☆ ☆ SHORTLY after his return to Apia with a diploma from the Institute of Economic Development Planning in Italy, Western Samoa’s only trained economist had a lot to say about economic planning in Samoa, little of which was complimentary.

The economist is Pita Alailima, 26, who holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Drew University, New Jersey, and has just completed a year’s study in Italy under an Italian Government scholarship.

He blasted Samoa’s much-vaunted five-year development plan presented by the Department of Economic Development under UN economist A.

Gerakas and approved last year by Parliament,

“Samoa has no development plan,” said Mr. Alailima. “You can only have a development plan when you have specific goals such as per capita income, etc., and critieria to check the progress towards these goals.”

He claimed that in Samoa the many experts had pushed the interests of their own particular fields, and there had been no flow of information between all parties necessary to arrive at public approval. Nor had the views of various experts been properly correlated into one overall plan.

“All information about planning must be open to the public for dis

cussion, criticism and improvement,” he said. “Economic planning is an education of the different depart ments involved, the general public, the leaders of the country and the planners themselves. Without the interchange of information and opinion, this education is impossible.”

He said that experience in develop ing countries had shown that the greatest pitfall lay in planners decid ing policy rather than presenting plans.

“The planners should merely pro pose alternatives. It is up to the leaders and the people to decide what course is adopted,” he said.