SAMOA.

Hokitika Guardian, 21 August 1922, Page 4

SAMOA.

commerce and politics. A MARKED improvement. AUCKLAND, August 17. “A marked improvement in affairs in Samoa, both commercially and politically, has takeh plh'ce in the last twelve months,” said the Secretary of External Affairs, Mr Gray, ill an interview after a five weeks’ official visit to the mandated territory.

From a commercial standpoint, Mr Gray expressed himself quite satisfied that Samoa had come through the worst of the had time, and at present was in a 1 letter position than either Fiji or Tonga. One of the main contributing on uses was the fact tbnt tboughout the last ciglieen monks of acute depression the Samoan Administration, with the approval of the New Zealand Government had kept the Crown estates going, and bad also carried out its previously arranged policy of public works. Another gratifying feature was that the Samoan native population was showing a gratifying rate of increase and recovering some of the terrible losses incurred during the influenza epidemic. The political situation bad also changed completely. A year ago tlie Taipliles, or Samoan (Advisory Council, bad presented a petition to the Minister for External Affairs, asking that tlie administration be transferred to Great Britain. In its latest session in April and 'June this year, the same Native Parliament had, mi at least two occasions, passed sincere and formal motions expressive of confidence in the Administration and : of loyalty to New Zealand.

Replying to criticism which recently appeared in a Sydney paper and was cabled to New Zealand that the Ad. ministration could not secure as good results from appropriated estates as the former German owners, Mr Gray said these areas wore now producing a very high grade of copra and cocoa, which easily held its own on the London market. Oil Mulafnnua plantation. which was the largest coconut plantation in the Pacific and comprised -1000 acres of bearing trees, tllo output in the past year had.been at least 300 tons greater than in any pre-war year since 1901, and this crop had been produced with 50 less labourers than were employed by the Germans. Very much the same could be said of other plantations. The opinion bad also been expressed by a. leading planter and resident of Samoa in a recent interview to the Sydney Press that the cocoa industry was doomed to extinction within the next few years, owing to the ravages of canker. From searching enquiries during his visit, Mr Gray stated that this opinion was completely at variance with that of the experts in Samoa. The amount' of canker that ex--istcr was quite negligible, and coil fillet* exclusively to very old trees.