EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXI, 18 November 1937, Page 13

EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

VOTE DEBATED IN \ PARLIAMENT SAMOA AMI COOK ISLANDS * TIM': MAIM I’OAJAKK “A IHMiK SUCCESS” [From Om Own l-’.orliamcntary Reporter I i 1 W ELLINGTON. 17th November. The discussion on the External Affairs vote in the House of Itepresenlalivrs yesterday afternoon opened up a wide cause of topics, includiiis (he (|iies(ions of tiie appointment of an administrator for Samoa, (lie operalions: of the motor vessel Maui I’omar 1 , and the Island fruit trade. ! The failure of the (iovemment to appoint an administrator for Samoa was mootinnod by the ill. Hon. G. W. Forbes iNational. Hurimuii, who asked the Prime Minister if he could give lhr House some indication of wind was inI tended. The former Government did not \ make the appointment because a new i Government was coining in, he said. | The acting-administrator was giving satisfaction and appeared to he on good terms with the Samoans. Nevertheless, j it was not proper to delay the appointment: of an Administrator for so lons. “II"" did the Eight honourable gen--1 tlenian know we '"ere .coin;; to he on ; the Treasury benches?” replied Mr Savi age ilh a smile. ‘‘When he left it to ! us he must have been sure lie was ; koine, to set it in the neck.'’ He agreed that the aclin,e-administrator was dome pood work. The Samoans appeared : to be happier to-day than they had been since the mandate was taken over by few Zealand. In respect to the appointment of administrator the Government desired to move warily and did not wish to jump to conclusions. The acting-administrator was losing nothine by tin' present position. Mr Forbes: You're keeping it steadily in view? Mr Savage replied in the affirmative and concluded by saying that the upj pointment was receiving the consideration of the Government. CO Oh MTS IN SAMOA The statement that the coolies employed in the mandated territory of | Samoa were all going home was made S by Mr Savage, who qualified his statement by saying that l(iO of the coolies were “left over” for the cocoa plantations. while 100 coolies, who were old residents, would he allowed to remain. The present Government had never believed that coolie labour was the solution to the plantation problem in Samoa. ‘‘Our policy is to gradually have them sent back to their own country,” he said. “The Government is doing that

Mr Cl. W. Forbes (National, Hurunuif Who is taking their place? Mr Savage said it was a question whether they could not obtain Nicu Islanders for Samoa, or perhaps Samoans themselves could he employed under rcasonab! conditions of work. “W : think it can be done,'’ lie concluded

THE MAUI POMARE ‘'The Maui Pomare is a huge financial success—not what, is was when the hun. gentleman's Government was in control.” This was the retort of the Prime Minister when Mr W. P. Unclean 'National. Parnell) asked whethei Hie Maui Pomare was a white elephant and what was the position of the unfortunate taxpayer in relation to the vole on the estimates for the vessel amounting to £25.500. Mr Unclean wanted to know whether the vessel was a travelling benefaction ■ for Hi: Island people. ‘‘How does the taxpayer get on'.”' he asked. Mr 11. S. S. Kyle 'National, Ricearton): He gets on at the wharf. Mr Endean: He will get off in the Bankruptcy Court. Tlr. Prime Minister said the Baui Pomare was no while elephant and it was run on up-to-date lines. . BANANA TRADE Referring to the banana trade, the Prime Minister said tire expenditure for 1930-37 was .1197,01)4 and the revenue £95,994. That left a deficit of Cl 100. For the current year the estimated expenditure was £230.828 and the es imated revenue £144,479, the credit balance being estimated at C 7651. He explained that the debit balanci for 1930-37 was accounted for by ■ the fact that a considerable sum d'.o for the year was not received until the accounts were closed and Hie amount was being credited to the current year's revenue, which brought the credit to Ur: sum he had mentioned. PUBLIC WORKS POLICY Mr C. L. Hunter (Government, Manuwalti) a member of 'he Parliamentary delegation to the Islands, urged a more progressive policy of public works in the Islands. The piesent position, he said, had existed for many years and Ihc Government was lacing a fairly high expenditure to put matters right. Mr S. G. Holland t National. Christchurch North) said that he was anxious to see that both the Government and the natives received the greatest beneiit from the expenditure, lie quesItoned the value of erecting a cool store at Rarotonga at a cost of £35.000. and said that the store coidd net benefit the ciui'-r islands to any great extent. P would (list as much to take the fruii f] oldi the ('titer island:- to Km donga as to ship it from Rarotonga to New Zealand. so that the result of centralised cool s’, ware w'did be to double the fieig.it cbarges, unde 1 the jenling system there was no encouraged.( nt to im- ' piovc the .standard >f fruit, and some old-estabi.shed planters had keen obliged to leave tbc Islands as a lesull. i Mr J. Robertson (Government. Mnsj i.erton >. who was chairmar of the Par- • linmenlary Committee that vis led the | Islands, said it was :'ecu .g: .soil tna*. j j I here was a necessity tor the replan l • ling of citrus fruit tiers Ihe idilicuiiv ; . with the Parotongan nr-m.-'o was that ■ ,l had a hi; !: ituice comer: which made ' it hard to keep and it,a Pi 1 10. The idea | of the cool s ire was that the fruit j could be picked at the proper time and i kept lin'd lit" at rival of l'.-> steamer. In ; regard to the outer islands a better: j solution of the fruit problem would tin-j

doubtedly be a better shipping service. He was pleased that the offer of 4s a case made by the merchants had not been accepted. In the past scheme after scheme had been wrecked b.v the traders. and he hoped that the scheme aclopUl on the recommendation of the Parliamentary Committee would not be wrecked in the same way. He was sure that it would be to the advantage of both the growers and New Zealand. Mr Hunter i Government. Mnnawntu > said he wondered why the meiehantx had not previously offered 4s per case if they were offering it this year. He wondered also how many cases of oranges would have left Ihe Islands on that basis. The Parliainema; y Committee had found merchants boy me up cargo space which was .or. used. The Prime Miivster said that the Government not spe-'ding money for the sake of spending it. hut simply to meet the requirements of the situalion. The vote was passed.