SAMOAN DIFFICULTIES

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 133, 1 March 1920, Page 4

SAMOAN DIFFICULTIES

SHORTAGE OF LABOUR. The great labour difficulties experienced in Samoa at present wero spoken b.y the managing director of tho 3itmoan Shipping and Trading Company, Limited. Curtain B. F. Allen, who has just arrived in Auckland. Captain Allen spent many years in Samoa prior to the war, but early in 1914 liis company was compelled to relinquish its Samonn business and establish its headquarters at Funafuti, Eilioe Islands. With a view to returning permanently to the scene of. his former uciivities Captain Allen visited Apia recently, but lie found everything in a very unsettled state. Jinny of the cocoa and rubber plantations, ' both British and Geunan-ovnicd, are absolutely stranded for want of labour. This is due to tho fact that the Chinese "boys," imported under tho German regime,, were sent back to China in lnrge numbers bv the occupying force, their periods of indenture having ex. nired. Where possible, growing crops have been saved, but on most of the plantations they are being allowed to rot.'and weeds abound everywhere. The copra plniiations, so far as those owned by Europeans—principally' Germans—are concerned, -are in similar difficulties owing to the lack of labour. The labour used on these places by the German firms was indentured from the German possessions in New Britain, but many of these "boys" have returned home. The onlv plantations that are free of such difficulties are those belonging to and worked by the Samcans themselves. There is a very large demand for copra. The whole of the supplies, however are goir.g direct to the United States, as Britain cannot provide shipping facilities between the Islands and the United Kingdom. It is considered probable, in the circumstances, that t';e shipments are re-exported from the United States to British ports, as the trade in America is quite n now feature. Captain Allen stated that the position lniffht be eased in the near future as the Government has sent a representative to China, his mission being to induce Chinese -labourers to accept work in Snmoa.