SAMOA AND SLUMP

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 40, 17 February 1932, Page 7

SAMOA AND SLUMP

RAISING MORE REVENUE

HIGHER CUSTOMS DUTIES

EFFECT ON. BUSINESS

(Special to Press Association.)

APIA, 16th February.

Because tho local price paid for copra is so low the spending power of the natives is greatly curtailed, and with salary cuts being the order of tho day in the Administration and business houses, a very lean Christmas trade was looked for. . j The actual results throughout the group, however, were much better than were expected. ■The increased Customs duties, which became effective on Ist January, were rather a bombshell to traders. It Was known that new sources of revenue were being looked for by the Admin-! istration, and that the import 'duty was likely to be increased, but not to such an extent. «r Harbour dues also have been raised considerably. REQUEST TOK REDUCTION. These changes have brought about the revival of the Chamber of Commerce, which has been defunct for the past four years, and one of the first duties of the newly-elected Council of the Chamber was to' meet the Administrator with a view to having the new import duties removed or reduced, and also to have the export duty on copra, which is now 30s a ton, brought to a lower level. The result of the interview is that no remission will be made in. the meantime.. . I ; The cocoa crops aro coming in well, though it is feared that heavy rains have caused black pods to some extent, which moans a considerable loss to the planters; There'was general satisfaction, especially among the Samoans, when the copra merchants announced an ad-! vance of a quarter of a cent in the buying, price of copra. The natives and others had long shown their •- feelings by leaving most of the crop on the ground to rot, while the export trade of the territory rapidly fell away, but scarcely had the good news been broadcast when it was followed by the disconcerting announcement that retail prices had been raised. GOVERNMENT BLAMED. When the natives expostulated they were told by the traders that the in-j crease was necessitated by the new duties, so the Government was to blame and not the traders. Some, critics have pointed out that the increases were out of all proportion, to the advance in the duties, and, furthermore, that they did not affect! the particular goods in question, which were old stock. This has raised the question of the Government's responsibility to 'see that i the natives receive'a fair deal—a responsibility which was recognised, and the Government set up a Board of Trade to review retail prices^ Critics also hav,e expressed the opinion that the merchants are not considering their besj; interests in. thus dealing With" the natives.