CONDITIONS IN SAMOA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18171, 17 August 1922, Page 7

CONDITIONS IN SAMOA.

! —; .» ••* .MARKED. f'*°, COMMERCIAL' AND AN OFFICIAL 1 expression:' '#£ A marked improvement in the staid of. affairs in..Samo^,,.both comnier^iijY. -.;',„., . and- politically, has taken place' tyi the ]k ?• . last 12 months,' said the,. Secretary. ~' for' .''■ ! .'■ ■ , External Affairs, Mr. J. D. Gray, iii'sn } '-•, , interview , yesterday. ' Mr. Gray. \ arrived' • -J * . in Auckland by the Navua yesterd?iy,'' ; : ."li , after a five' weeks; o.fncial visit to the-,.:. j mandated territory:' •--• J- , From the commercial standpoint.' 'Mr-. ..'■/«•,„•" j Gray expressed himself as quite satisfied • ;;. . that Samoahad come through the-Worst .. '-..:. . of the bad times, and at present wa$ v m:, ..': 5 a better .position than either o£"fcho"'" 1 neighbouring groups of Fiji or Tongs: ~!«,, i His opinion was confirmed, by Austrs- > lian commercial representatives ■ whom he . met while away, and who, he. stated, 3 were in a position to gauge accurately > the relative positions of the three groups. P" They were unanimous and emphatic in " stating that at the present juncture and £ for the future the commercial outlook j for Samoa was much the brightest, a One of the main contributing causes to • r this improved state of affairs was the 3 fact that throughout the last 18 months ' of acute depression the Samoan Administration, the'.-lapprbval of tie. New ... ... [ Zealand; Gbyerhmenty had kept the Grown : • i estates going;' arid had also carried'out , ;,., 1 its previously arranged policy of ;public .'*<%.. I works. This had had-a great deal to do . with the maintenance of the general i business of the territory. Another I gratifying feature was that the Samoan-v.'-. native population was showing a gratify-. , ing rate of increase, and recovering'"some j of the terrible losses incurred during the , influenza epidemic. ,: > The political situation hadalso chafed ]/;,'■> .j , completely. A year ago the Faipoles,-|6r-' ■ : r-; > Samoan Advisory Gouaoil, 'had presented'•. ;.m - > a petition' to the'Miiiister for External.'.V a ; Affairs, .asking, ..that the, . administration' '•'■' - ! should be. \: baiwf erred .lb"'Britain.,' -Iw-.-. ..,;,-, its latest session, held in April and .Tune . of this year", the saine native Parliament f[ had 'on at» .leugfc twp' passect '% sincere and formal motions • expressive of ;> • g confidence in. the Administration and -.i~ loyalty Zealand. ..'.'■ The progress made with the programjn».*'-,./ of public works in Samoa was latistae- - tory r said Mr." Gray, who proceeded.' J'' deal with what had been done- ~,; gard to" waterworks, roads, and bridge?;;.'. '" -! a great improvement being noticeable'ii.-^ - ' the latter two ; directions since the" yfeit\; r of members cf.the New-.Zealand: Parfiament in;l92&V On, ithevi'Gro'wn: es^ea•;:-..vr;» planting-, 'of :.'cQpra c U»nd:,'^c^''--ywibemg'-7.;a- ! : rapidly 'pushed' aheadr.'- TJie'. <■_.-;/; labour, which had"Keen 'a diffiguHT.^dbr....-...-lem during and' -aftur, the ■&ph(*ir*fo more satisfactory. "In reclaiming of areas of cocoa .plantations, , which hadl reverted,- more. w )*sfr;*Wfi'sA jungle during the transition period.,; was ■•>:«. rr proceeding, A very large area.hW.;«tT;<T>v ready been 'cleaned, and' the Ifees-were 1 —f: showing in a marked decree the- beasts.., ~^,v , . of cleaning-and cultivation, .v • , ":""-''';'- Implying ; to;.a. criticism which .recently. - in m-MilMi 'Ep Z*?°& SSß >,*■&& cabled to the-SJcw press,^wli!j:h,, stated that the, Administration rcaildi not . secuie as gogl from' thft' priated estates- their ■■, fornaer G erma^,, owners, .Mr.. Gray said these, aMMaiTWJWJ now producing a very high _ copra arid'-'cocoa,'/^hich' Tft * own on the London market. Ow...the {i y>. y Mulafanua SS^^^^^fpU^f *? largest cocoanut plahtaUon in the Kp»KMIS and comprised of the output in the past year had beea-at list MO tons greater than ■ year since 1901. and this crop had been n produced- with 50 less labourers' ;«haq em^„,,. ■• ployed bv.mtGm^^^wsf^+r ■i the same could be said oi ot?ner pla^ta-;-i t! An' opinion had.also been . . 0 a leading planter and resident of V - in a recent interview given ; to .W* ■; • a' ney press, that the. cocoa indus,ry w^- v a doomed to extinction within the. next few ; 3 vears, owine to the ravages ,of canker, a From searching inquiry made Aww\Ju* „. » visit/Mr. Gray stated- that • r was completely at vanance with Aat^-r^: 1 experts in Samoa. The MjjM: " J " - that existed was quite w#*» i • was confined _^