A—6

The Catholic Mission has established a convent school at Nukunono under the charge of a European sister who is aided by two Samoan sisters. The village has erected a large new school which is attended by 145 pupils. Desks, blackboards, and other equipment for the school were purchased out of money reserved especially for the purpose from the sale of copra. The curriculum includes English, arithmetic, geography, and writing, with sewing and weaving for the girls, and woodwork and canoecraft for the boys. The Tokelau catechist teaches at the village school with the assistance of the European and Samoan priests. Certain of the brighter Tokelau children are sent from time to time to attend London Missionary Society or Catholic schools in Samoa. Some students have also been chosen to receive training in Government schools in Samoa with a view to later employment as clerks, radio operators, or, on the request of the Tokelau people themselves, possibly as medical cadets in preparation for further training as medical practitioners. IV. ECONOMIC CONDITIONS 14. Natural Resources The natural resources of the Tokelau Islands are limited by the lack of fertility of the soil, which permits an agricultural subsistence economy and the production annually of a certain amount of copra for export. There are no known mineral resources. Coconut palms are a characteristic feature of the landscape. Kanava or Tauanave (Gordia subcordata) is the only timber tree of importance; this is used for canoes, houses, and domestic utensils. The trees are short and stubby and the trunks of good specimens rarely exceed 2 ft. in diameter. Another useful tree is fala, the edible pandanus, the timber of which is also sometimes used in house-building. One island in each atoll is usually reserved for timber plantations. The preservation of good supplies of Kanava is vital to the islanders in view of their widespread use in canoe-building. 15. Agriculture The food of the inhabitants consists of coconut, fish, fowl, bananas, ta'amu (a type of taro), the fruit of the edible pandanus, and occasionally pork. Fish is plentiful and easily caught. Fowls and pigs are kept in each village, but not in sufficient numbers to. provide a continuous source of meat. Few bananas are grown owing to the absence of humus. Ta'amu, a larger member of the taro family, is grown on all three islands and to some extent replaces taro, which cannot be made to grow on any. Pulaka, a coarse tuber similar to the Samoan wild bush taro, is cultivated on each atoll, and a variety of kumara is grown on one islet of Fakaofo. The edible pandanus fruits twice a year in May and November. 16. Soil Analysis Samples of the soil or coral rubble from each of the three atolls sent to New Zealand for analysis by the Cawthron Institute in 1945 showed a larger percentage of coarse particles which failed to pass the 2-millimetre-mesh sieve. This coarse fraction contained approximately 90 per cent, of calcium carbonate, leaving only 10 per cent, for the soil, stones, and organic matter contained in the coarse fraction. The material passing the 2-millimetre sieve contained from 78 per cent, to 85 per cent, of calcium carbonate. This left from 15 per cent, to 22 per cent, of actual soil, including organic matter, combined water, and possible stone

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