SAMOA.

Dunstan Times, Issue 3129, 7 August 1922, Page 2

SAMOA.

Mr J. L. Arcus, the well-known auditor and accountant, lias returned to Wellington alter visiting Samoa at the instance of the New (Government for the purpose of auditing tin; Administration accounts and overhauling the finance of the Crown estates. These are the plantations taken\ over from German settlers and the D.H. and P.G., which are now being run by the Government, with Mr CowIcy (an Australian) as a kind of general manager. As far as those estates were concerned, said Mr Arcus, there was not a great deal doing just now owing to the low price ol copra, but they were being kept in good order, and were first-rate properties. The D.il. and P.G. trading stations —which iiad been offered for sale by the Government — were situated in the most advantageous position always where the natives were thickest, and the fixings wore all up to date and in good order. Each of the plantations had been placed in charge of an Englishman, and Mr S. J. Collins, formerly of Wellington, was in Samoa, arranging a complete system of cost accounts, so that the cost of every bag of copra would bo accurately known in the future, which had not been the ease in the past. “The native Samoan prefers not to work on Government or private: plantations,” Mr Arcus said, ‘‘but relief had been given by the importation of jJOOd Chinese —in. two lots—who, with the assistance of those Solomon Island boys who* did not wish to lie repatriated when their terras were up. are furnishing the labor required to keep the eocoanut plantations in order. The Chinese are in charge of a Mr North, who has been lent to the Administration bv the British Government, liecause of his knowledge of the Chinese dialects and their character.’ 7 “When in Samoa in 1919,” continued Mr Arens, “I thought I perceived weaknesses, not in the labor, but in how the labor was used. 'The men worked all right, but 12 men were used where four men and a machine would serve. This was the Gorman way. Now all that is gradually being changed. On the big Alnlifanua station, and elsewhere, the task system has been employed with good results. Under this system daily tasks are set the coolies, and as soon as these are done they can knock off. or go to work on their own patches of ground. -Many of them welcome the idea, and in the time at their disposal grow vegetables, lor which there is a ready market in Apia. The task system liars meant an increase in efficiency of 50 per cent. In addition to this, machinery is being introduced. A cocoanut tree drops anut a day. and these used to be picked up either w’dli-an oxdrawn wagon or a donkey with panniers. Now a little motor truck goes the daily round of the plantation, and brings the nuts in. This modernising of working methods is going to be the saviour of Samoa in the future.” Three years ago Mr Arcus found it difficult to purchase any native-made Samoan faneywork. Last year the position was much better, and this year there was an increase of 100 per cent, on last year, an indication that the Samoans were cut to make 1 money. Another significant thing was, that though the price of copra was low last year the output and export was a record. This was excellent for the Administration. as there was an export duty of £1 per ton on copra. It meant that the natives were at work, though the return was not considerable. This year's output was likely to exceed that of last year. Copra, he explained, had no season. A coconut tree bore about 50 nuts a year, and they dropped off whenever lip;;. Nuts for copra were never picked (iff the trees, but were gathered from the ground, taken to central places, where hot-air kilns were provided. There the fibrous husk was torn off, the nut cracked, and with a special kind of knife, the milky kernel was s ooped out on to large trays, and placed in the kilns. The shell and the fibre were tossed aside to be used as fuel for the kiln fires; but there was so much of it that the furnaces could not consume- it all, and great heaps of it had to be burned from time to time. That seemed to be a lamentable waste, as the fibre at all events was serviceable if the shell was not. The native Samoans who grew cocoa nuts on their own ground did not go in lor kilns, hut sun-dried the copra. In this way it was preserved right enough, but it was not so good as the kiln-dried article, and never brought the same price. Samoan copra was the best. The quote for Fiji, noted at Suva, was £l2 10s per ton for Fijian, and 09 Ids for Tongan, whilst Samoan kiln-dried copra was fetching 015 on the beach. Another new feature of the trade was ■that the copra was now being shipped direct to London. The ( lan Mcliinoss was at Apia- when Mr Arcus was there, and he met the same steamer at Nukualofa. filling up with copra, from which a gooil deal of margarine -was now made. With a country like Samoa, dependent; to a great extent on market fluctuations, Mr Arens eons- (bred that nothing was wanted more than a sound business man, cither connected with the Admiir-stratioii or in the person of tin.' Administrator. In the possession of such ,a man would be. to some extent, the prosperity and happiness of llie islands. Mr Arcus said that ho noticed in a Sydney paper recently that someone bad suggested the importatOn on a large scale, of farmers from over-populated Italy for work in the Northern Territory. Such a type of man. used to working in high temperatures would be a treasure in Samoa. ft was a suggestion which mightwall be considered seriously, as if would mean bettering the lot of the individual and the country. Considering how easily bananas can he grown in Samoa. Mr Areas is convinced that New Zeal a miens: pay far ton much for them hero. A banana free, Ik; says, only lasts a, year—-then it die*- down, and round the- old trunk spring up half a dozen little ones, which are taken up and planted out "n rows. In six months’ time they begin to bear fruit, and continue to do so for some months. Thus, big plantations could be created and exporting within nine months—if there were markets for the- fruit. The Navim-. by which he travelled to Auckland. brought down 10,800 eases of bananas from Fiji instead of the usual 18-000 or 20.000 eases —and very poor quality fruit it was. This was owing to some blight that was affecting the trees in Fiji, a blight that was unknown in Samoa-. If a direct service were established between Samoa and New Zealand, flits country could easily take its 20,000 ca,seis per month. But what was happening now? AVe were taking inferior Fiji bananas, whilst Fiji was buying all the goods she wanted in Australia (which had taxed her bananas in order to benefit those grown in Queensland). This was how Australia was scoring against New Zealand all the time. Asked as to the financial position at Samoa, all that Air Arcus would say was that it was extremely satisfactoryApart from a loan, the money contributed by New Zealand to Samoa during the last financial year was £16,000 for wireless telegraphy and hospital work.