Police: R. J. G. Anderson, MHK Civil Service Commission: P. G. Hislop, мHK LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL President: the Lieutenant Governor HOUSE OF KEYS Speaker: Hon. H. C. Kerruish, OBE JUSTICE First Deemster and Clerk of the Rolls: His Honour G. E. Moore W ESTERN Samoa lies in central Polynesia in the South West Pacific Ocean between latitudes 13° and 15° south and longitudes 171° and 173° west. The Samoan group lies 2,600 miles south-west of Hawaii, 2,700 miles from Sydney, 1,800 miles north-east of New Zealand. The islands are formed mainly of volcanic rock and coral reefs surround much of Western Samoa's coastline. Fresh water is plentiful in rivers and lakes. More than half of the total land in Upolu which is suitable for cultivation is around the three- to four-mile limit inland from the coast where most of the population is also settled. It is estimated that an area of 270 square miles is under cultivation. Nine islands make up Western Samoa and the total land area is some 1,090 square miles. Of this area, some 660 square miles form the island of Savai'i and 430 square miles the island of Upolu. The other islands are Apolima, Manono, Fanuatapu, Namua, Nuutele, Nuulua and Nuusafee. The climate is tropical ranging normally from 72° to 86°F. The cooler months are from May to November when the fresh trade winds blow and the rainy season extends from December to April. The rainfall is uneven in territorial distribution and the northern coast of Upolu normally receives less than the southern and the western less than the eastern coast. The annual figures for rainfall are 112 inches for the northern coast and 110 inches for the western end. An analogous distribution occurs on Savai'i. Hurricanes are not unknown in Western Samoa, very bad ones occurring in 1889, 1966 and again in 1968, causing great damage to property and crops. The Samoans are a Polynesian people akin to the Maori of New Zealand and the Tongans. Since 1960 people residing in Western Samoa are classed either as Western Samoan citizens or as foreigners; citizens travel on Western Samoan passports. The pre-requisite for Samoan citizenship is to be born in the country or to have five years residence. Other racial groups in Samoa include Euronesians, other Pacific Islanders, Chinese and Europeans. There has been a steady increase in Samoan population from 33,478 in 1906 when the first census was taken. At the census of November 1966 the population was 131,377. This was an increase of 16,950 or about 15 per cent over the preceding 5-year period. Preliminary count of the 1971 census showed an increase of about 9.4 per cent and not 16 per cent as anticipated. The population is now estimated to be over 145,000. The main island of Upolu has the largest population of some 103,719 while Savai ‘i has 39, 828. The population of Apia, the capital, on the island of Upolu is over 30,000. In 1936 Samoan births were recorded at 2,124 and deaths at 618, while in 1965 there were 4,115 births and 702 deaths. In 1969 there were 652 deaths (593 in 1968) and 4,330 births (3,799 in 1968). The growth of population from 1931 to 1945 averaged 2.5 per cent per year. This increased between 1945 and 1951 to 3.7 per cent. The Samoans are Christian by religion and have assimilated religious observances into the pattern of village life. Among the Christian missions which have established themselves in Western Samoa are the Congregational, the Roman Catholic, the Methodist, the Latter Day Saints and the Seventh Day Adventists. The main languages spoken in Samoa are Samoan and English. THE ECONOMY The Western Samoan $ (tala) replaced the £ Samoan in July 1967. Land tenure in Samoa is of considerable importance. Since 1961 all land in Western Samoa has been held as: (i) customary land held from the State in accordance with Samoan custom; (ii) freehold land which is held from the State of Western Samoa in fee simple; and (iii) public land (formerly Crown Land) being land that is free from customary title and from any estate in fee simple. Of the 1,090 square miles that make up the land of Western Samoa some 80.5 per cent is 'customary land' controlled by the matai or chiefs and held in accordance with Samoan custom and usage. The matai is in effect the trustee of the extended family group. The control of the land does not necessarily pass from the chief to his son as there is an election of a new matai when the former matai dies. Customary land can be leased but not purchased. At independence, of a total 725,000 acres in the islands of Western Samoa, 32,000 acres were Trust Estate land, 561,062 acres were indigenous land and 26,953 acres were freehold land. The remainder was crown land, now called public land. Agriculture has formed the basis for Western Samoa's economy and seems likely to continue to play a most important role. Agriculture has largely been of a subsistence type with little money income accruing to the average Samoan planter. The land and the sea have provided food and the means for shelter for the Samoans and until recently there has been little intensive agriculture. The three major crops are coconuts (copra), cocoa and bananas. It is estimated that some 55,000 acres are planted in coconuts, 18,000 acres in cocoa and 17,000 in bananas. All copra is marketed through the Copra Board and the average annual production for export is 15,000 tons. Efforts have been made in recent years to eradicate plant diseases and pests and so to increase production. Western Samoan cocoa has a flavour variety of very high quality, and is eagerly sought after for blending. Some 5,000 tons of cocoa was exported in 1962 but the hurricane of 1966 had an adverse effect on the cocoa group and only 2,725 tons were exported in that year. Production of bananas, the third major crop, has fluctuated. In 1962 some 660,935 cases were exported but since then there has been a steady decline due to adverse conditions and the effect of hurricanes, and in 1966 only 61,903 cases were exported. Production which was further set back by the 1968 hurricane has now returned to higher levels. A total of 216,759 cases was exported in 1969 and 200,579 in 1970. Other agricultural exports include coffee, timber, taro and other tropical fruits and seeds. The estimated figures for livestock as at 1966 were: 2,600 horses, 20,000 cattle, including a small number of dairy cattle, 40,000 pigs and 500,000 poultry. Cattle are used for fresh beef for local consumption and provide hides for export. There is a dairy located near Apia. As far as fisheries are concerned, marine products are gathered by the Samoans mainly for personal consumption and commercial fishing is not yet of any significance. Efforts are, however, being made to develop marine resources generally. As a result of Government encouragement under the Enterprises Incentives Act a number of small industries have been established in recent years. These include two saw mills, an ice cream and a soft drinks factory, two biscuit factories, a soap factory, fruit canneries, two garment factories, a footwear factory, four hotels and other small enterprises, which are mainly designed to supply the local market. A food processing laboratory has been set up with the basic equipment supplied by Australia. Large scale exploitation of forest resources on the island of Savai'i has begun. It is expected that fifteen million board feet of indigenous hard woods will be exported each year. Western Samoa's approach to tourism reflects its concern to preserve the Samoan way of life. The economic benefits of tourism are, however, recognised and a policy of positive development is now being pursued. Expansion of hotel facilities is being undertaken together with the upgrading of Western Samoa's airport and roads. The number of tourists visiting Western Samoa has increased steadily over recent years. The pattern of Western Samoa's exports reflects the situation in a country where, with very little secondary industry, the main emphasis is on agriculture. Total exports in 1969 were worth some WS $4,630,000. In that year, the largest income earner was cocoa with about 40 per cent of total exports; the second most important crop was copra amounting to some 35 per cent of the total and the export of bananas was third with some 15 per cent of total exports. Among the remaining exports were sales of taro to New Zealand, processed foods to American Samoa and some re-exports. The most important purchasing countries are New Zealand, the Netherlands, Britain, West Germany, Australia and Japan. An analysis of Western Samoa's imports shows a concentration of foodstuffs, most of which are imported from New Zealand and Australia. Other imports include alcoholic beverages, tobacco, textiles, machinery and tools, transport equipment, fuel and lubricants, chemicals and other manufactured goods. The total value of imports in 1969 was WS$7,373,670. The Western Samoan Budget for 1970 was as follows: There are some 477 miles of roads in Western Samoa of which 80 miles are surfaced. As far as shipping services are concerned, a regular fortnightly service operates to New Zealand via Fiji, Tonga and Niue. A daily service links Apia and Pago Pago in American Samoa. There are also shipping connections with Australia, direct line services with Britain and Europe approximately once every six weeks, with Japan every three months, and with the Pacific coast of America once a month. Air New Zealand serves American Samoa and there are daily air services from Apia operated by Polynesian Airlines to Pago Pago which connect with a service to Fiji, New Zealand, America and Australia. There is a twice weekly service to Fiji and Tonga. There are also inter-island daily air services between Upolu and Savai'i operated by Air Samoa and Samoa Aviation. A deep water wharf at Apia was opened in April 1966. A second port for oceangoing vessels at Asau on the island of Savai'i is near completion. The problems of economic development in Western Samoa differ little from those experienced in other developing countries. Broadly stated, the difficulty is to sustain a policy of rational economic growth against the background of a rapidly increasing population, limited agricultural exports and the relatively wide fluctuations in the prices paid on the international market for these products. Special circumstances in Western Samoa, however, tend to sharpen and accentuate the effects of these difficulties. These include geographical isolation, an absence of mineral resources, the lack of nearby markets and of a large domestic market, and the low level of productive efficiency in the agricultural sector of the economy. New Zealand in particular has sought to assist in the economic development of the country as has the UN Development Programme, which undertook an economic survey in 1962 in order to find the practical bases for a development programme. In September 1964, an Economic Development Board was established by the Cabinet and in October 1965, an Economic Development Act was passed establishing a Department of Economic Development. Two other Acts in 1965 established two additional development organisations. One was the Enterprises Incentives Act to encourage the establishment of manufacturing, fisheries and tourism and incentives which are offered include tax concessions and duty-free import of building materials, equipment, etc. The other Act set up a Handicrafts Industry Development Corporation to encourage the manufacture of local handicrafts. On the recommendations of the Economic Development Board in 1965, the Cabinet approved a 5-year Development Programme from 1965 to 1970. The total cost involved was £957,467 and included development in agriculture, tourism, secondary industries, public works, health and education, trade development and telecommunications. Although the development plan for agriculture was devoted mainly towards increasing the yield of the three main crops, there was also some provision for diversification into other small crops and stock production. A second 5-year plan has been produced for the period 1971 to 1975. New Zealand provides technical and capital assistance to Western Samoa in a number of fields including health, education, civil aviation, meteorological services and harbour development. Substantial technical assistance is also provided under various programmes of the United Nations. The UNDP, whose regional headquarters for the Pacific are located in Apia, provides a number of experts in various fields including economic development, engineering, forestry, statistics and planning. A number of Commonwealth countries assist Western Samoa by making available teachers and training awards for Western Samoan students. Australia in addition provides expert personnel, machinery and equipment. Expert personnel are also supplied by the United Kingdom. The New Zealand Volunteer Service Abroad and the United States Peace Corps have a number of volunteers serving in Western Samoa. THE SOCIAL SERVICES Samoa is fortunate in that most of the worst tropical diseases are unknown in the islands. There is a Department of Health and there are fourteen health districts with Medical Officers responsible for health activities in each district. The Apia General Hospital, with 310 beds, is the main hospital in the country. There are programmes for assisting in tuberculosis control, filariasis and yaws. The cost of health services in the country was WS$700,615 in 1969, and WS$878,374 in 1970. Samoa participates in the South Pacific Health Service, a regional organisation with its headquarters and Director-General at Suva in Fiji; through this the country is involved in the regional planning in the area. For both training and treatment the universities and teaching hospitals in New Zealand play an important role for the whole region. Education in Western Samoa is a Government responsibility carried out through a Department of Education, but several missions also operate schools. The education system is divided into three divisions: primary, intermediate and secondary, and all are based on the New Zealand system. Up to 1971 there were 159 primary, 39 intermediate and 15 secondary schools in the country with a total school population of over 34,000. There are also a Trades' Training Institute, Teachers' Training College and a college for tropical agriculture in Western Samoa. Western Samoa has joined other Governments in the area in establishing the regional University of the South Pacific and a Samoan is currently serving as pro-Chancellor. Labour matters in Western Samoa are governed by a Labour Ordinance and Workers' Compensation Act passed in 1960. There are probably 10,000 people in the country who could be classed as wage earners and at least half of them are employed by the Government or the Trust Estates Corporation. It is calculated that another 17.000 are employed in village agriculture. There are no trade unions and the Government works on the basis of a 40-hour week which is generally followed by private enterprise. There is a substantial annual migration to New Zealand. Some thousands have migrated in this way on a permanent or semi-permanent basis. HISTORY Little is known of Samoan history before the 13th century but some archaeological evidence indicates that Samoa could have been settled as far back as |