A—4

Summary of Native District Judges' Courts

By the Samoa Act, 1921, equal treatment in the administration of justice is accorded to all residents of the Territory, regardless of nationality. F. ECONOMIC ADVANCEMENT General The main products of the Territory are cocoa, bananas, and copra, the bananas being exported to New Zealand, and cocoa and copra to the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. In addition, there exists a local subsistence economy based on the growing of foodstuffs such as taro, coconuts, bananas, -and breadfruit, the gathering of all kinds of sea food, and the raising of pigs and poultry. Many Samoans became money conscious to a greater extent during the war period when from 1942 to 1945 large numbers of United States troops brought extra money into the Territory and provided remunerative work. The rapid rise in cocoa and copra prices has sustained and increased this money sense and a considerable range of trade goods is now added to their basic needs. These high prices account for the increased •exports of cocoa and copra during the year under review, which are both an all-time Tecord. The New Zealand Reparation Estates, which are owned directly by the New Zealand Government, operate plantations taken over from German nationals as reparations after World War I, and play an important part in the general economy •of the Territory. The land held by the Estates totals 75,360 acres, but much of this is yery poor, comprising steep hillsides and deep ravines. Some 4,681 acres are leased to private European and Samoan planters and only 9,836 acres are worked directly by the Estates. On this area 14 overseas personnel and 1,572 part-Samoans and Samoans are regularly engaged. In addition, numbers of Samoans work under contract, bringing the total labour force to over 2,000 daily. Salaries and wages payments by the Estates for the year ended 31st March, 1948, totalled £83,037 and direct taxation to the Samoan Administration for the same period amounted to £29,619. Apart from the New Zealand Reparation Estates personnel, there are in the Territory 66 planters of European status. Of this number, 9 are of full-European blood, balance being of part-European - Samoan descent.

17

Year ended 31st March, 1947. 1948. Criminal Number of sittings 68 22 Number of cases dealt with 68 22 Convictions recorded 13 6 Total fines inflicted £6 £4 9s. Civil Number of sittings 28 26 Number of actions filed .. 28 26 Judgments given 14 9