Western Samoa

c. 452 (j). M. 166 (j), 1925. VI. G e n e v a , November 1st, 1925. REPORTS OF MANDATORY POWERS Submitted to the Council of the League of Nations in accordance with Article 22 of the Covenant and examined by the Permanent Mandates Commission during its Seventh Session, October 1925. FIFTH REPORT O F T H E GOVERNMENT OF NEW ZEALAND O N T H E ADMINISTRATION O F T H E MANDATED TERRITORY OF WESTERN SAMOA FOR THE YEAR ENDED MARCH 31st, 1925 SOCIÉTÉ DES NATIONS — LEAGUE OF NATIONS GENÈVE — 1925 — GENEVA NOTES BY THE SECRETARIAT OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS. This edition of the reports submitted to the Council of the League of Nations by the Mandatory Powers under Article 22 of the Covenant is published in execution of the following resolution adopted by the Assembly on September 22nd, 1924, at its Fifth Session : “ The Fifth Assembly . requests that the reports of the Mandatory Powers should be distributed to the States Members of the League of Nations and placed at the disposal of the public who may desire to purchase them. ” The reports have generally been reproduced as received by the Secretariat. In certain cases, however, it has been decided to omit in this new edition certain legislative and other texts appearing as annexes, and maps and photographs contained in the original edition published by the Mandatory Power Such omissions are indicated by notes by the Secretariat. The Fifth Annual Report to the League of Nations on the Administration of the Territory of Western Samoa from April 1st, 1924, to March 31st, 1925, was received by the Secretariat on August 3rd, 1925, and examined by the Permanent Mandates Commission on October 30th, 1925, in the presence of the accredited Representative of the Government of New Zealand, the Hon. Sir James Allen, K.C.B., High Commissioner in London for the Government of New Zealand, assisted by Mr. J . D. Gray, Secretary of the External Affairs Department of New Zealand (see Minutes of the 7th Session, document C.648.M.237.1925.VI, pages 17-33). The observations of the Commission on this report are contained in document C.649.M.238.1925.VI, p. 9, and also in the above mentioned Minutes of the Seventh Session, Annex 14. The references in this report to pages in previous reports refer to the original edition published by the Mandatory Power. 1925. NEW ZEALAND. MANDATED TERRITORY OF WESTERN SAMOA (FIFTH REPORT OF THE GOVERNMENT OF NEW ZEALAND ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF) FOR THE YEAR ENDED THE 31s t MARCH, 1925. P re p a re d by D ir e c t io n o f t h e M in is t e r o f E x t e r n a l A f f a ir s f o r t h e Information of t h e L e a g u e o f N a t io n s , p u r s u a n t to A r t ic l e 6 o f t h e Ma n d a t e . S i r , — Prime Minister's Office, Wellington, N.Z., 27th May, 1925. 1 have the honour to forward herewith the Fifth Annual Report on the Mandated Territory of Western Samoa, for the year ended 31st March, 1925. This report has been prepared by His Excellency the Administrator of Western Samoa, and adopted by the New Zealand Govern ment as its report for the purposes of Article 6 of the Mandate. I have further to transmit a Supplementary Report by the Department of Health covering the same period, which, for the purpose of convenience, has been printed separately.1 Copies of both reports have been forwarded direct to each member of the Permanent Mandates Commission, and one hundred additional copies have been despatched to you direct under separate cover I have the honour to be, Sir, Your obedient servant, F H. D. B e l l , Prime Minister. The Secretary-General, League of Nations, Geneva. iVoZe by the Secretariat : This report has not been reprinted by the League of Nations. S. d, N. 650, 11/25. — Imp. Réunies, Chambéry. — 4 — CONTENTS. Page Administrator’s Report 5 Departmental Reports 16 Questionnaire 46 Administration 15 Agriculture . 7, 23 Alcoholic Liquor 47 Arms Traffic 47 Cacao 24 Child Welfare 19 Chinese Labour .. 13,28 Cotton .. 15,24 Crown Estates 40 Customs 25 Drug Traffic 47 Economic Equality 48 Education 6. 21, 48 Faipules’ Visit to New Zealand 11 Finance .. 40,52 Food and Drugs 18 Harbour Health Department (see Public Health) Infectious Diseases 18 Justice 22 Labour . 46 Lands and Survey 34 Lands, European 13 Land-tenure 50 Legislation .. 11,15 Liberty of Conscience 48 Marine 25 Medical 20 Military Organization 48 Moral, Social, and Material Welfare 51 Municipality 15 Native Affairs 6, 9, 12, 16 Native Lands 9 Observatory 37 Police and Prisons 26 Policy 6 Population 19 Post and Telegraph 31 Public Health 6, 17, 49 Public Trust 40 Public Works . 15, 35 Quarantine 18 Radio 33 Sanitation . 18, 19 Slavery 46 Staff .......................................................... 43 Statistics—Demographic 52 Vital 19 Stores Department 37 Trade 5 Water-supply I9 Maps (2) .. At end - 5 — ANNUAL REPO RT BY TH E ADMINISTRATOR FOR TH E YEAR 1924-25. I.—TRADE. 1 have the honour to report that the past year has apparently marked the turning-point from the economic depression which Samoa, in common with the rest of the world, has expe rienced for several years, and which reached its lowest level in 1923, as shown in the following graph. 1910 ’11 ’12 ’ 13 ’14 ’15 ’16 ’17 ’18 19 ’20 ’21 ’22 '23 1924 £ 1,000,000 £950,000 £900,000 £850,000 £800,000 £750,000 £700,000 £650,000 £600,000 £550,000 £500,000 £450,000 £400,000 £350,000 £3u0,000 T otal T rad e V a lu es (C alendar Y e a r s ). It is satisfactory to note that this improvement in trade was effected far more by increased production than by the enhanced market values, the volume of both the main exports — copra and cacao — being in excess of the previous year. The output of copra for the past three years has considerably exceeded that for any similar Period in the history of this Territory — a sure indication not only of the increasing prosperity of the European population, but also of the progress and steady development of the Native race, which produces 75 per cent, of the total output and provides practically all its own needs from the proceeds of this crop. The increase in the production of cacao has been most marked — viz., from 399 tons in 1923 to 957 tons last year — an amount very little short of the total produced in the record year. Most of this cacao is produced from the New Zealand Government plantations, which were leased last year. It can therefore be assumed that planters have during their first year °f lease been able to prove that these plantations are a good investment. The care taken to grade all cacao for export has already produced good results, and it is anticipated will increase the demand in the world’s markets for the very high quality of cacao which is grown in Samoa. Every possible effort is also made by laws and Native regulations to produce a high grade °i Native-dried copra, and considerable improvement in the quality has resulted. The market values of the main products are at present fairly good, and the outlook is Promising, as is also the outlook for visible crops. The balance of trade being also on the right f>ue, to the value of £87,000, enables me to confidently predict that the present year also will e a prosperous one for Samoa. — 6 — II. NATIVE AFFAIRS. P o l i c y . In carrying out the policy of the New Zealand Government to promote to the utmost the interests of the Samoan race, the Administration during the past year has concentrated its efforts upon three essentials, viz. : (1) Health, (2) Education, (3) Agricultural Development. Any advancement of the Natives to a higher standard of prosperity can only be in propor tion to the extent to which they respond to our efforts in these matters. The Samoans are, however, a conservative people, and do not readily adopt new ideas ; therefore their progress must necessarily be slow. H e a l t h of t h e N a t iv e s . What has been done to improve the health of the Natives is fully detailed in the Chief Medical Officer’s Departmental Report herewith. Reference should also be made to the report by Dr. S. M. Lambert of the International Health Board of the Rockefeller Foundation.' Dr. Lambert visited Samoa in July of last year and accompanied me on my official tour of the Island of Savai’i, when, as an independent and impartial observer, he had exceptional opportunities of seeing the majority of the Natives in their own villages. His information was based on his own personal observations, and the report of this well-known and able expert on tropical diseases can be taken as a very valuable one. From my own observations there is a very marked improvement in the health of the Natives and a conspicuous absence of the unsightly cases of yaws which as recently as two years ago were so prevalent The infantile mortality is, however, still very high, and will continue to be so as long as the mothers treat sickness by their old Samoan customs, and continue to feed their infants on indigestible taro.

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