H.—44.

The United Kingdom is Samoa's best customer: £141,000 worth of goods were sent to the-United Kingdom in 1926. Germany (£78,000), United States of America (£17,000), Australia (£16,000), and New Zealand (£4,000) were the other chief buyers last year. New Zealand uses only a very small quantity of the classes of goods exported by Samoa, and the amount purchased in 1926 is made up chiefly of cocoa-beans. The value of the imports into Western Samoa from the main countries concerned were during 1923-26 as under :—

It will be noted that in 1926 Samoa purchased more of her requirements from New Zealand than from any other country. It is gratifying to note that New Zealand's portion of the import trade is constantly improving. The quantity and value of the chief exportable products of Samoa during the past five years are shown below :—

It will be seen that the rubber industry is being re-established. It was in 1918 that the export of rubber ceased. The greatest quantity ever exported was in 1917—70 tons. Cook and Savage Islands. Each year the Dominion proper does a substantial trade with the Cook Islands. During the past four years the following figures show the value of goods purchased by the Dominion from those Islands: 1923, £125,446 ; 1924, £149,676 ; 1925, £126,465 ; 1926, £119,407. The value of goods purchased from the Dominion by these Islands amounted in 1923 to £100,670 ; in 1924 to £96,757 ; in 1925 to £80,977 ; in 1926 to £109,636. The total trade of these Islands last year was £273,061. It will therefore be seen that the exchange of trade between Cook Islands and New Zealand represented in 1926 80 per cent, of the total imports and exports of those Islands. The principal items received by the Dominion were oranges, £57,000 ; tomatoes, £27,000 ; and bananas, £17,000. Samoa-Nine - New Zealand Trade. Considerable interest is being taken in commercial and industrial circles in the new steamer service to be inaugurated under Government auspices at the close of this year. This steamer, now under construction, will be of approximately 950 tons, will have insulated space provided for a cargo of from ten thousand to twelve thousand cases of fruit, and accommodation for thirty passengers. She will be motor driven, with an expected speed of 12 knots, and her present itinerary of ten trips per annum will be from Samoa, Niue, to Lyttelton, Wellington, and Auckland, and from this latter port to Niue, Samoa, on the return journey, the round trip occupying some twenty-one days. The Department of External Affairs, which will control the new service, has co-operated with this Department with a view to ascertaining the likely demand for fruit, particularly bananas, in the South Island. CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE. The Department is represented on the executive of the chambers of commerce in each of the four chief centres, and is thereby kept in close touch with commercial activities and problems. The relation is proving to be of mutual advantage, especially in the exchange of views on matters of the development of trade, publicity abroad, and internal trade. The chambers invariably accord assistance in publishing matter supplied by the Department of commercial importance. The annual conference, held in Wellington in November, 1926, of the associated chambers of commerce of the Dominion was opened by the Hon. A. D. McLeod, Minister of Industries and Commerce, and throughout the sittings the Department was represented by the Secretary.

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Year. I Australia. New Zealand, i United Kingdom. United States of & America. £ £ £ £ 1923 .. .. .. .. 98,000 78,000* 20,000 63,000 1924 .. .. .. .. 99,000 87,000 25,000 42,000 1925 .. .. .. .. 104,000 91,000 64,000 i 55,000 1926 .. .. .. .. 80,000 92,000 50,000 66,000

Cocoa. Copra. Rubber. Calendar Year. Tons. Value. Tons. | Value. Tons, j Value. £ £ £ 1922 .. .. .. .. 765 44,513 16,956 319,333 1923 .. .. .. .. 221 12,787 13,484 269,995 1924 .. .. .. .. 1,016 57,958 13,202 284,272 1925 .. .. .. .. 664 39,626 14,519 331,274 3 1,165 1926 .. .. .. .. 356 20,151 12,249- 275,086 33i 6,702