Travelodge gets OK in West Samoa

After months of delay, the Western Samoan cabinet in July decided to start negotiations with the Australian moteliers Travelodge in their proposals to take over the government-owned, decrepit Casino Hotel. Last year Travelodge proposed to the government a joint venture on which Travelodge would raise a SUSI million loan to develop the Casino as one of their chain of hotels. The proposal was widely welcomed by the public and strongly backed by the Minister of Finance, Mr. G.

F. D. Betham, but a split developed in Cabinet when some Ministers, notably chairman of the Western Hotel Development, Tuaopepe Tame, maintained the hotel should be developed by Samoan capital. Tuaopepe secured a six months’ postponement on the decision, during which local capital was sought. The prospectus drew only $1,500 of the $15,000 wanted.

It is not expected that remaining negotiations between the govern ment and Travelodge will take long and some Samoan officials predict that work on the 15-acre site will start within six months.