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products for export in order to maintain good standards, and inspects agricultural lands around Apia, principally to check the breeding of the destructive rhinoceros bettle. Revival of the Department of Agriculture with wholly Samoan personnel has been extensively discussed by the Samoans since 1945, but the matter has not yet been agreed on. The Administration has in the meantime given this plan its official support. 19. Under the Native Department there are fourteen elected parttime Samoan officials called " Plantation Inspectors " (Pulefa'atoaga). Such positions have existed for many years. Though the incumbents have no technical training they are supposed to remind and to some extent stimulate the communities in their districts to catch the rhinoceros beetle, clean up their gardens periodically, replant useful trees, and otherwise maintain good standards of agriculture. In practice their positions are now largely a sinecure. Before the Mau period each village was expected to collect a certain weekly quota of beetles, and the Plantation Inspector was supposed to get these " beetle returns " from every mayor (Pulenu'u) in his district, and report these to the Agricultural Department or Resident Commissioner. Furthermore, in the German times, the law required that certain new crops and trees be planted regularly. No close supervision of this kind is now maintained. 20. A number of other Government officers and Departments have responsibilities in special economic fields —e.g., Public Trust, Lands and Survey, Public Works. The Public Trust is now associated with the Justice Department, and there is also a Public Trust Investment Board, with the Chief Judge as President. A postal savings-bank is available to Samoan and other depositors, though only a limited number of Samoans yet have the habit of banking money. Bank deposits have risen sharply since 1943. 21. In the war period import, finance, and price controls were instituted, and still continue. Import licences are currently required for certain goods imported from New Zealand, and for all goods imported from other countries. Finance control provides for the control of remittances and of exports overseas, other than to New Zealand, and prevents Samoa being used as a " back door " through which capital could otherwise move from New Zealand. Local prices for foodstuffs and other essential commodities are set by a Price Tribunal. • C. Land 22. Approximately four-fifths of the land area of the Territory is still held by the Samoans in accordance with their own customary system of land tenure, and is classed as " Native land." The lagoons, reefs, and adjacent seas, so important to the Samoan economy, are also subject to such customary titles. Of the remaining fifth, which has passed from Samoan hands, most is " Crown land" and includes the Reparation Estates, and the rest is " European land," owned under freehold titles by private parties, including the missions. The following statistics give an indication of land ownership. Acres. Per cent. Native land .. .. 581,370 80-5 Crown land .. .. 103,630 14-0 European land .. .. 40,000 5-5 725,000 100-0
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