SAMOAN CONDITIONS.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXVII, Issue LXXVII, 31 July 1918, Page 5

SAMOAN CONDITIONS.

UNDER BRll.lSHVOfcCj|i_|^^^ TRADE STEADIMoRCT^^^™ (Special' ;to;^^S^r^|f^S| -. WELLINCTON^^^ Under British adminiktt^iqn|t|^^^ trade of Samoa, instead ;'lbj-* v ibeihjgi?^|^3 organised by the military,-::Cccu^ has developed -'on prbgressive.;i:i:iMß^^ though the record :;;bfw:p)^K_^w^_^H have been more.,: imp--*«3aisi**v<^^ future of the. island;;'b^*l|d^fifl^,^J settled. Reading 'a^mi_ssj_o^«Huai_® documents relating-^to;*^i^^||mm»^i^l tor's work, one^is-ibbuni^s^^^^^!^^ the conclusion .':::tha^^thei^r^^^^M§^ of his time musl. :-"].^^ problems which.;:aijle|s|^w|^^-*^|^p3 tary comma uder : .:cf' ; ;'a_:i|occ^<M^^^^ tory could leave: toft^C^^tMM^i^^KS But a report byX^pn^e]||§^g|^^^ on the trade of^,We^ri_-^amp|||^|Bi^J is the main scurwvp&a^^ this article-, shows;"i^rcai^l^^i^H Administrator nas ■;en'deavOi^-|^|^^^^ tain and improve;''^el'^ii^inu^^^l^^^l of the conquered territorj*.fi^p|^|^^^ Samoa, says Colpnel|L*a^niiptt^_^^| fered in common;^_tK.o|pCT^|[]^^*^^H the -shortage of sf^^nijg^r^^^^aH veyance of ** its* staplff-fjg^ji^^^^aH ket. As for int^aP^wi^fc^^p^^B been' grealy .imprp^d^^jj^^^^H^^H horse traction, of ■ .wo:;y|iiij^^^^^BHH are now 65 motor :ca^_fj_*i|^^ Apia. Numerous tween Apia:-and-aU|i|it^^^|^^^^^ tory, and.the :na^urai^a^^|^^n_^^ ed-by the coral;,r^_|fai^__dMi«li^^^ part ot the Mlands^j-SJ^ able at all seasoMltl^^h^^^c^Fj^^ From Apia >a ; .'^c%^^^|^a^nß^' ii^ westward to Mhli^r^l^^^i^^'dß^^ tant, at the.-..;.e_ttr^i^|^^|^^]^ft^3 Island of ; Upolu^-kn^|^^^^^^i|l^ii^ the east, as farOa£<:j^^ construction-. /-TheX ;rba^i^TOjan^_i:ni^^ are good, tap all-.tli^ii||||^|aM^^ under cultivation v 'and}|l|^ road through Api^-;.iw'^i^^^^/^l^^^| laid down *-;-inV*'asp_iaj[tum^^p§aEi6n^^^a road across the islandv'T^m^'S^pia/^^^a Safata, over a mountain: rai^e|2PQQ^^S high,, is being jda(_^ii^|^^^^^^^ line will follow/aCai^;^^ telephone service .hass bTOjtf|^|^na^^l_|vf^ miles westward.;;to|Mali_ap|^i^re. _t&?if| London Missipnar^^cie^aJllliiaii^-^ quarters are situat(^?#;p:-f^?§^;>^ .^lif Last year a ceii^i^/iiS-tKesßffi^^^j^B and native population.' i^oJ^i^i^Z^]^^^ figures given - below exc|^^3|Q|>ji^^^H ment officials fromf N^^?aJan^^|^^B members of the>ot3cupying pfpi^^^^^^H their families (who are ; ihcluded|iM^^^H New Zealand census), and al^:exi^^^^B Chinese labor ers and Solomu^j^^^^^l laborers. '-*^_____________l Nationality Male I_____________\ British 345- _______\ American ... 132_^^^^^^^^^^H 25^^^^^^^^^^^H Other -* ______________________ Samoan ______________________________ Other ?_____________________________* ianis SATi>- k a c; rijßY^i^^^^^^H There have oeen-*inra|^^^^^^^^^^^| the thefu^^^^^^^^| has "J^^^^^^^^^^H births exceeded deaih&3^^^^^^^^^| to-date hospital i_l..!r!JK^^^^^^^^^| with a medical .staff:.fj|^^^^^^| ■*& -H*^ J_______________i > ers and a nursing sti&.S _________________ '--"^v^ __________________________ tration erecting £:M___________t the Island of Nu'ut|l||^^^^^^^| s:ve improvement in th&^^^^^^^^^^| »imu-^^^^^^^^H medical officer is worth ._^^^^^^| as evidence that theoccupatup^^Hj^H I remarkably good results on, WjjrjlljM I being of the Samoan. During'th^^^S 18 there were 1669 births anc^^H| deaths, as against 1609 births anl|l!|9fl deaths in the preyious year. IBpj|||| lowing shows the births an 3 deaijis^e^J thousand over the latter period o||B_i§ffl tish occupation: .- < ZZxyZ^Mi .„:._ -.:"v $*_m Death rate per „ Zx-y 'ifl t,. i°oo 37-™ 30.00 #eix>4| Birth rate per - '^-^-"^ 1000 38.40 '40.20 fslpaH Excess of births • SillfjJaM per 1000 0.7 10.26 16.0|8 ■-^,?3,72S!^______| It is hoped to still further i^^^| this satisfactory record by ' ||ifjjj^| special attention to preventible X^^^H ity amongst infants,, and wi^ J^|^H ject the Administration la-st'-<-^^^^H commenced a regular medicaiiM^^H around ihZ glands. Effortslj^^^H made to inculcate into the JiJjy^^^^^H of hygiene. -*_____________! -To come back to Coionel^^^^^^^fl port, i. s shown that at .^^^^^^^H a Government school with^^^^^^^H deavoring i,j establish agricultural farm for naKjM^^^H a property for the purjx>6e^lii|^^^H acquired. The pastors : .||^^^H out the island conduct-sCht^^^^^H the villages, and as a result p*ritS^^H all the native population ran TOp||P||H write. The natives have tfi<&^»ff|H paper,- 4000 copies of which, tw»£«igH dilated free among them by _-__&-AJM ministration each month. ' JH LABOR.AND THE PLANTATIQN^B There are now only about ;Tffl^B Chinese indentured laborers on^(^M island, and these are being %r_M^^B ated at the rate of some i^l|^^H ■every , s i x months. During u§^^^| three years the cost of this 1-^-fjf^^l risen to much above its value,jfr|^^^M labor question, says Colonel islM\^_^_M will have to be dealt with in &*J^^| future. Although the enemy trading .*W^^^M were soon' after the war placedJfl^^^M tary liquidation, the plantatioM^^^H allowed to carry on under re*^j^^^^H Most of these plantations wera^^^^^H I from Germany, and as th^^^^^^H j tajicos were stopped at the M^^^^^^M war, the plantations hsw^^^^^^M

Jgrith .sc&rie difficulty. Two which became bankrupt have been carried on . ** temporarily by the Administration. '. The following estimate i. given of- the ■ -areas' of the three largest products now ] ■under _ European cultivation on the territory: Cocoanuts _2 3 0t}0 acres Cacao 6,000 acres Rubber ' 1,900 acres y .',..'-. There are no manufactories in Samoa for dealing with xhe by-product of the * cocoanut,- the copra being exported in bulk. • ."- As for other forms cf production, Colonel Logan states that there is little grazing land in Samoa _ beyond the * cocoanut plantations,' and there cattle do well.- They also assist in keeping the plantations free from weeds. Europeans own 6000 head of cattle and natives own 400. The Administration is endeavoring to get the natives to take -up cattle breeding. Sheep-have been introduced by the Administration, but .until the wet season is over it will be impossible to ascertain how they stand the: climate. There are very large numbers of pigs in Samoa. Every villages 'owns its pork run, and pork is a favorite - dish at all Samoan feasts. - TRAT.E DEVELOPMENTS. «. Though building material has been - higK in price, the Administrator report, thai, _ considerable amount of ■ Jb-.iilding has taken place during the , yei'r*-, ?nd _evora] large premises have been -.recced. Tlie Bank of New Zea- - land h-*-. a branch in Apia, and a Post Office Savings Bank was opened as a :-- snbrhraiich of the Auckland Post Office Savings Bank. There is also a money order office associated, with the Post Office, which is a .part of the New Zea- , land postal system. The report gives the names of firms trading in Samoa. Five are British, two are Samoan, two | ■ American, and two neutral. New Zea- j*~ land, and Australian firms continue to send representatives regularly to Samoa, and the American firms, says -the Administrator, are competing with some success. A summary of the copra exports over a period of ten years shows that they have- had considerable variations. The maximum was reached with 11,974 tons in 1915. The total dropped to 7,544 tons in 1916, and Stood at 8992 tons last year. Except in regard'to rubber,.: the value.of the principal exports shows an increase, for the value of copra, rubber and cacao exported during the last three years is as follows: . 1915 1916 • 1917 I L££ £ i Copra ... ... 187,429 143,345 230,245 | V Rubber ... 13,907 20,233 14,087 j W C^cao 59,<322 63,970 69,549 ; The distribution of trade is clearly j by-the list of values of imports for the calendar year Imports Exports 3.393 , inconsiderable, amount total exports (insilyer £16,600 shown \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\MW^ Zealand returns) cocoa -export, New Zealand Australia £30,732, Canand 9 United States of \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\wMa, £23,997. Copra to the value to New Zealand, and the erj value £2*21,518, to America. . took £1777 worth of preand £650 worth of thov. .rubber exportations to Australia and £1343