An important department of the New Zealand Government, which does not perhaps come under the public eye so much as the others, is the Department of External Affairs, and one of its greatest outside responsibilities is the government of Samoa.
Mounted in a proud array are many of the articles that are characteristic of Samoa, and many of that country’s natural products, such as breadfruit, a peculiar-looking fruit or vegetable or whatever it is that is greatly relished, and cacao pods, where we get our cocoa and incidentally our chocolates.
The nutmegs grown in Samoa are real and flavoured. To add to the interest there is a bottled snake, inedible variety, and also a couple of huge bats, possible vampires, which hang in mid-oil. Being one of the tropical islands, Samoa grows great quantities of cocoanuts, and consequently the output of copra is by no means negligible.
Here there is a display of copra of two different kinds - sun dried and kiln dried. The work of the natives is also displayed to advantage, and sundry hand-made baskets and gaudy strings of beads make an ornate and typical show. Other exhibits are dehydrated bananas, candlenuts, great sponges, kava, cotton, arrowroot and coffee beans.
On the same footing as Samoa are the Cook Islands, and these two colonies produced practically the same things. Their copra production in 1920 was 12,000 tons and in 1924 it increased to 14,000 tons.
One of the outstanding works of the Cook and Samoan Islands is the ‘‘Save the Children’’ movement, and, as proof of the success of the hygiene improvements, it is stated that the births increased from 1700 in 1921 to 2500 in 1924. Trade with the Islands yearly is valued at £1,000,000. In 1910 the fruit from the Cook Islands was valued at £50,000; in 1920 it reached the £70,000 mark, and the value in 1924 was £105,000.
Traffic to expo working well
‘‘Everyone seems pleased with the way the time-table is running.’’ stated Mr W.H. Mackenzie, the general manager of the Dunedin City Corporation tramways yesterday afternoon, when talking to an Otago Daily Times reporter.
The opening day of the Exhibition was a record day. Mr Mackenzie said that both the buses and the tramcars had been patronised extremely well. To cope with the extra traffic during the Exhibition period between 60 and 70 bus drivers and conductors had been engaged.
The tramway department intended, he said, to give visitors to Dunedin and their friends every opportunity of seeing the beauty spots of the city at as reasonable a cost as possible. The observation trips had commenced last Wednesday, and each succeeding day the number of passengers was increasing.
Yesterday morning five buses made the trip. If the department could get the passengers at 3 shillings a trip it would prove profitable, as he believed cheap fares would encourage passengers.
Mr Mackenzie told the reporter that nothing but expressions of appreciation had been heard from those who made the trips; the observation trips would be a splendid advertisement for Dunedin.
— ODT, 25.11.1925
— Compiled by Peter Dowden
