The two

Samoas move closer

From a Pago Pago correspondent Top officials from the govern ments of America and Western Samoa are putting their heads to gether in an attempt to iron out mutual problems and cure a few

joint headaches, notably one

caused by illegal aliens in Ameri can Samoa.

A recent talk between the govern ments on immigration problems re vealed that there are about 1,800 illegal aliens in American Samoa, most of them from Western Samoa.

American Samoa Attorney-General Donald Williams said his government had instructions from Washington to reduce the number of aliens, mainly because many of them were holding jobs which could be done by Ameri can Samoans.

But, he stressed, there was no in tention to reduce the number of aliens by mass deportation.

He was obviously treading softly because the problem of illegal Samoan immigrants could become a very big headache for both govern ments.

Racially they are the one people.

Some Samoans in both countries fret over the existence of a boundary be tween them. Some have relations in both countries.

Another subject which has created envy in Western Samoa and which was dealt with by the two groups is that of the community college in American Samoa.

According to American Samoa’s Education Director, Mr, Milton DeMello, there are 700 students en rolled in the college’s 100 courses.

There are, as yet, no places for students from Western Samoa because present policy prevents their admis sion as the school is federally fin anced by the United States Govern ment.

There is a precedent, of course, for allowing Western Samoan students to enter the college. Students from all over the world study on scholarships awarded by the US Government at the East-West Center of the Univers ity of Hawaii.

American Samoa Governor Hay don said some might be admitted when the college can handle them,

but that a nominal tuition fee will have to be charged them.

One phase of co-operation between the two governments already has made progress.

Western Samoa’s Harbourmaster, Mr. Peter Plowman, told the confer ence that the Joint Marine Board had held three meetings and completed regulations governing inter-island vessels. The regulations will be pre sented to the law-making bodies of both Western and American Samoa with the request that they be made uniform laws.

Mr. William Meredith, Director of Agriculture of Western Samoa, raised the question of the decline in export of taro from his country to American Samoa.

Lieutenant-Governor Frank Mock ler replied that many American Samoans are being forced to switch to rice or potatoes by the high price of taro.

But both sides agreed that a co-operative effort should be made to balance an exchange of food products and Mockler said that American Samoa might well import Western Samoan beef when it is available if it meets US inspection standards.

Western Samoa raised the question of fish poaching in her waters by “Oriental fishing vessels” based on American Samoa.

Governor Haydon ducked that one by pointing out that the fishing vessels were not under American Samoa’s jurisdic ion when outside the terri tory’s waters.

He suggested that Western Samoa might curb the poaching by arrest ing and fining crews of vessels caught poaching.

The possibility of raising funds to send entries to the South Pacific Arts Festival in Fiji next year was dis cussed. Efforts may be made to send separate groups which would be able to combine and present massed Samoan singing and dancing.

The two areas are now without air taxi service and Governor Haydon said that American Samoa would not object if Western Samoa negotiated with the US State Department for a Western Samoan carrier to provide such service.

Praising the “efforts being made by the two leaders to meet in a social and casual atmosphere and at least get to know each other”, the Samoa Times said the conference was the first step towards airing grievances, finding solutions to them and then pro ceeding to “unravel the spider’s web”.