SAMOAN TRADE.

Northern Advocate, 27 January 1922, Page 7

SAMOAN TRADE.

DIVERTED TO NEIGHBOUV~ 1N! 1 COMPETITORS NEW ZEALAND'S OPPORTUNITY At the pesent time Mr P. E. Pattack, Commissioner of Crown Estates and Public Trustee of S.imoa, formerly of Wellington, is visiting New Ze tUmd. He intends to return aid sciAle I in Wellington at the 3nd of thi* yeur. [Having had experience first as advijory accountant for the military liquidations of German estates there, later as liquidator, and sow as Commissioner of Samoa Crown Estates (tiese comprise all the properties taken over from vhe Germans by virtue of the Peace Treaty; Mr Pattrick speaks with authority on Samoa and its trade. In the coursc of an interview with a "Dominion" reporter Mr Patrick said that in 1916 the Gorman firm?, which were then operating in Snmo.i, were put into liquidation by the New Zealand military authorities. The largest of these was the powerful Trading and Plantations Company of Hamburg, commonly known as the D.H. and P.G. The liquidator, in accordance with his instructions, closed down all the trading businesses and continued the working of the plantations. (It was at this time that Mr PattriNk's services were engaged by the New Zealand Government). The trade connection of those firms was thus automatically diverted to neighbouring competitors, much to the joy and profit of the latter, 75 per cent, of whom were of other than British nationality. These trading stations which number over thirty and are op the best sites throughout the group, are still closed. The fixtures and the fittings, and even the copra scales, ure still in the stores ready for immediate

It is understood that the Government contemplates selling these properties, and Mr Pattrick considers the present a unique opportunity for a New Zealand trading company to be formed to purchase them, and to develop a very profitable business. There are, he state?, not only good prospects of such a com j any recovering most, if not all, of thi; trade previously enjoyed by the liquidated German firms but also of its acquiring further business by increasing the production of Samoa's staple duce—copra. , Mr Pattrick says the present annual 0.-vport of this produce is about 12.000 tons, but that at least 40 or 50 per cent, more could be produced if the (jcprahaivested by natives were purchased from them green and were dried by the company in hot-air kilns instead of being dried by the tardy process exposure to the sun, which the natives still employ.

. He considers that the suggested company would be well advised to build these kiln driers and, further, to set up a mill in Apia to crush the copra and to treat the husk for fibre. The oil could be exported, while a very considerable portion of two of the by-products might welj be consumed locally, the one as cattle food, and the other as fertiliser. Referring to New Zealand's trad-.? with Samoa, Mr Pattrick said he considered that, although both New Zealand and Samoa were primarily agricultural countries, there was considerable scope for development of trade between them. He instanced that t,»... imports to New Zealand for the last completed financial year totalled approximately £65,000, whereas the total imports from all sources of identical goods amounted to about twice that sum. The importation of drapery for example, amounted for the yc.u under review to £50,000, while only £20,000 of this came from New Zealand. Mr Pattrick points out that the sueccss | of such a company would depend largely upon two factors —efficient organisation and the right staff. The members of trading staff would, for instance, haveto be able to speak the language of the island because the trade of the ont-stations is almost solely with the patives. It was'rather surprising to hear of cattle thriving in the but Mr Pattrick said there were between 7000 and 8000 head of cattle on the plantations included in the Crown estates. The visitor thought there was a good market for some of our primary products, tinned meats and a little Murder, but necessarily that was limited as the population was small.