Increased N.Z. Aid To Western Samoa

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31631, 18 March 1968, Page 22

Increased N.Z. Aid To Western Samoa

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, March 17.

New Zealand will boost its financial aid to Western Samoa by $300,000 in the next three years to a total of $1.2 million.

Announcing this, the Prime Minister (Mr Holyoake) said the decision was a result of talks in Wellington last week with the Western Samoan Prime Minister, Fiame Mataafa.

For the three-year period ending March 31 this year New Zealand’s aid to Western Samoa totalled $900,000. Other assistance was given, including the $200,000 made available for plantation rehabilitation after the hurricane in January, 1966. Mr Holyoake announced that in recognition of the Lnmediate problems faced by Western Samoa after the recent hurricane, the Govern-

ment had agreed to a Samoan request to postpone by one year the beginning of payments of principal and interest on the 1966 New Zealand hurricane restoration loan to Samoa.

Of the new annual appropriation of $400,000, a total of $250,000 will be paid in grant form to permit the continuation of scholarships and other educational assistance plus aid in the technical end administrative fields.

It was planned that the remaining $150,000 would be made available in loan form. Although New Zealand’s economic position created difficulty for the Government when considering expenditure in the aid field, the Government had accepted that assistance to Western Samoa was an essential commitment, said Mr Holyoake. “The Government realises how difficult it is for Samoa to obtain overseas capital for development purposes, and indeed the new emphasis on loan finance in the aid programme is evidence of New Zealand’s wish to help in this vital direction," he said.

Visit to Marae.—The Governor-General (Sir Arthur Porritt) and Lady Porritt and Miss Joanna Porritt attended a function held on the Orakei marae on Saturday afternoon.—(P.A.)