PROSPERITY OF THE GROUP.

Auckland Star, Volume LIV, Issue 293, 8 December 1923, Page 13

PROSPERITY OF THE GROUP.

REMARKS BY GENERA!. RICHARDSON". A deputation of independent planters of Western Samoa waited upon the Administrator before his departure for .uckland and presented a letter— signed by 26 planters—expressing thanks for the great interest that General Richardson had taken in their welfare and by giving an assurance that all the difficult problems which continually confronted the private planters would 'be dealt with sympathetically and solved to the benefit of the counGeneral Richardson expressed the opinion that as private enterprise had done so much for Samoa in the past, so must Samoa look to private enterprise for future development. The planters ax a body he very much admired for the way in which they worked and struggled to exist in spite of the adverse conditions that they had experienced in recent years and were still experiencing. They could rest assured that the Government and the people of Xew Zealand were very sympathetic to Samoa and were most anxious for this country to prosper. Xew Zealand had not been sparing in its expenditure on Samoa, and wn owed a debt of gratitude for their generosity. There were mam- problems to be solved in Samoa, but 'probably the most important one was to live within our income. The expenditure had exceeded the revenue fo, some years. and Xew Zealand should not be asked to make up the deficit indefinitely. This, however, was entirely a matter of Government policy, and was closely associated with the future of the Crown Estates. He was coin" to "New Zealand to discuss many questions with the Government concern, ing the welfare of Samoa, and one ot the matters which no doubt would be discussed was the future policy of the Crown Estates. The people of Samoa need have no fear about the future prosperity of the country: it would be prosnc'ous and would more than pay its wav—particularly if all citizens would exert themselves like the private planters were now doing.