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education is of paramount importance. Among this elite group Samoa must look for her leaders ; from them must come her Government officials, her professional and commercial groups, her pastors and medical practitioners, and teachers. 18. The present high expense of sending pupils from Western Samoa on Government scholarships to carry on their education in New Zealand would be lessened if more advanced schools of proper calibre were developed locally. Inevitably living abroad during the adolescent period over several years must unsettle the pupils for life in Samoa, taking them away at a vital period from their own people. This, however, should not rule out the possibility of scholarships at the upper high school and later the University levels for individuals who definitely show capacity to profit by professional and technical training along lines which can be useful to the country. 19. Complaints were heard from Samoan leaders about the great difference in educational opportunities open to Samoan children and those open to European children. The European Leifi'ifi School at Apia has a trained teaching staff from New Zealand, and an academic curriculum taught in the English language. The contrast is striking between this and the three Government higher primary (" middle ") schools open to Samoans, which have almost no teachers from overseas, and where the pupils do much of the work of maintenance. It must be recognized, however, that children from English-speaking homes cannot justifiably be retarded, so that the problem is primarily one of improving the standards of the Samoan schools. Obviously, whatever differentiation is made must be based not upon racial status, but upon the background of life and the ability to speak and understand English. 20. At present education is not compulsory in Samoa. There are neither sufficient schools, sufficient teachers, nor sufficient text-books and equipment to make compulsory education possible. Even with heavy educational expenditures it will probably not be feasible for years to come to provide the necessary buildings and teaching personnel to make compulsory education a reality. Nevertheless, definite plans can formulated and immediate steps taken in the direction of this ultimate goal; and efforts can be redoubled for securing increased numbers of competent teachers, more schools and adequate text-books. At the same time, much can be done through enlisting the active help of local village leaders and the women's committees. Through their leadership and assistance parents may be prevailed upon to send their children to school at an earlier age and make them observe a more regular attendance. 22. School equipment is as yet very inadequate, and printed Samoan text-books are sadly lacking. The preparation of text-books in a language which is not widely spoken presents a problem of great