DAMAGE IN SAMOA

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20024, 24 August 1939, Page 5

DAMAGE IN SAMOA

JANUARY STORMS UP TO £40,000 LOSS (Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day. The relations between the Samoan administration and the natives and with, other sections of the community continued harmonious, states the annual report of the Samoa mandated territory. The position in relation to the Man organisation remained unchanged. The accounts show an excess of revenue over expenditure of £4570, but the acting Administrator points out that in January extraordinary rainfall, with accompanying floods and high seas, caused extensive damage to road communications arid the hydro-electric plant and waterworks a,s well as Government and private plantations, the cocoa crop being completely ruined with no prospect of cropping for another six months. Several steel and concrete bridges were swept away, numerous landslides, and wa'sh-outs occurred' throughout the group. The damage to public services and plantations was estimated at £40,000, and as the current revenues are not sufficient to meet the restoration of transport comimiunlLoations, dit would be necessary to use reserve funds to meat the extra expenditure. The toss through the storm, damage to cocoa planters, coupled with the continued low prices obtaining in the past 15 months, would necessitate the continuation of relief measures granted to these planters last year in the way of remission of rent and interest charges.