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The Pamphlet Collection of Sir Robert Stout: Volume 78

Plantation Companies

Plantation Companies.

Some six years ago Mr. Francis Harman, page 15 [unclear: ng] layers having lawyer hailing from Birmingham, [unclear: impressed] with the outlook in Ger-[unclear: nama], and on his return to his na-[unclear: eity] was enabled to attract certain [unclear: E] and on his advice and under his [unclear: section] the Upotu Plantation Co., a Bar-[unclear: am] concern, set out upon its career. [unclear: company] has cleared and planted [unclear: na] 590 or 600 acres of cacao. From 180 acres, a fine first crop has [unclear: been] gathered, and the company will [unclear: som] a dividend basis either this year, only next, when it is exacted that worth about 10d per lb in London be produced at the rate of about a-[unclear: ed] of a ton per acre, and at a cost [unclear: tech] should leave fully from £15 to £20 per acre as a downright profit.

Another plantation owned by a Glas-Company, and also promoted by Mr. [unclear: man], is now in its third year, and has a short time to run before it, too, be amongst the dividend winners. [unclear: tr] H. J. Moore, an American resident [unclear: Seman], has three fine cacao plantations, [unclear: one] Eoe considerable plantation of cocoa-[unclear: on] the south side of Savaii. This [unclear: doman] has also very large and grow [unclear: trading] interests, and is the owner of [unclear: his] lsland, in the Ellice Group, as well [unclear: of] other large properties.

[unclear: The] Deutsches Plantagen nnd Gessell-[unclear: laft], a German company, established [unclear: Apra] about 1864, is the oldest as well the most important planting and com-[unclear: cial] enterprise in Samoa. It has about [unclear: am] acres of cocoanuts under cultiva-[unclear: n] thousands of cattle fatten under [unclear: e] trees, keeping the soil weeded down fertilised. They have some cacao in-[unclear: posts], and on the whole do a large and duble trading business. Last year paid a regular dividend of 20 per [unclear: L] and put a big amount to their re-[unclear: ve] fund. This company is conserva-managed, and is indeed a great in-[unclear: tion]. The amount of capital invested [unclear: cod] exactlv known, but it must approxi-[unclear: le] some £500,000 or £600,000. The [unclear: lr] large companies are the Deutsches [unclear: oa] Gessellschaft, which is a trading [unclear: and] plantation firm, the Safata Oessell [unclear: left] and the Saluafata Gessellschaft.

Though the area of salable lands in the [unclear: diate] vicinity of Apia is daily grow spaller, and the prices higher, there is [unclear: t] a large area of good land at more dis-[unclear: ted] points, and some can still be had at [unclear: s] as low ah 20s per [unclear: arw]. The [unclear: Samo-in] [unclear: ts] can no longer lease or sell their [unclear: ds] at will, and it is very difficult to [unclear: d] the Government to allow the natives [unclear: part] with any more of their soil, so [unclear: decover] purchases are made have to deal bsively with lande which have long [unclear: ed] out of native control.