IN SWEET SAMOA

They're Not Too Happy

Germans As Administrators.

When a British* person m a high place, who has spent some years m one of our mandated possessions, comes back to New Zealand and tells you flat that -the Germans were far better administrators than the British it is time to sit up and take notice. All the praise this person can give about the officials of the present administration of Samoa is that "they are doing their best." Now, the individual referred, to ought to know what he is talking "about. For reasons which may be easily understood, he prefers that his name be not published (for between you and me and the gate-post it is just as much "lese majeste" to utter one word against- British — or, if you prefer it, m this case— New Zealand administration as it was to criticise the German — particularly if you are so placed that the administration can get at you and make you a victim of its lovely regulations). • Well, the New. Zealander who saw the "Truth" man m Auckland, and who has spent some three years m Samoa, says that many mistakes are being made m the mandated territory by the administrative officials, who are "doing their beat.'* Then he goes onj • "It is a big thing to say, and being a Britisher, I do not care to admit it, but I think the British officials are not imbued with the same degree of natural intelligence — Bhall I cleverness and ability? — as their German predeces* sors. They have done their best o,U the way through, but ,the results have not been up to the same standard as those aohleved by the German officials. In this they, as officials, are not altogether to blame — rather it is the fault of the New Zealand Government m its administration of Samoa." Then comes what seems to "Truth" a sad reflection on the alleged British freedom, of which we New Zealanders are so fond of boasting. Let this soak in — and remeiAfyer that it came from an observer and a responsible man: "Both the whites and the natives live under what is practically an autocracy. The officials often have to act against their better inclinations m carrying out orders, but they must do as thoy are told and are hampered and handicapped at every turn.""Truth's" informant agreed to discuss the labor problem. He said he did not approve of Chinese labor, but how else could the work be done? Nobody ever suggested anything better. The Samoans had the land, but ; they were too indolent to work it themselves— and why should they when there was no necessity to do so? It was not a country m which the white man could do manual labor^am the Chinaman fllledithe bill. The laws against relations- of Chinese and native women cut no ice, and It is commonly i known that the Chinaman would have I the native woman despite any law. [Thus the Statute forbidding marriage between them only served as an encouragement to unmarried sexual relations. These "immoral" relationships were common and winked at by everybody but the missionaries. Tho truth was that the Samoan woman liked the Chinese, because they made good "husbands," and a Samoan girl had a better and easier time living with one of the yellow men than she could have if married tb one of her own people. And here followed some more on "administration": "These officials have come to a very fair understanding with the natives, (put the beach traders still have a few grievances. What everybody chafes under is the lack of representation. The conditions under which both Europeans and natives live practically amount to a dictatorship-r-it is nothing less than tyranny, The Legislative Council can only be classed as a farce, the members being nominated, not elected — more glorious British freedom! If the members were elected the people -would be content, but as- it is there is nothing but dissatisfaction — and plenty of cause for it. If a petition were presented it would have to be given to the Administrator, not to the Council. I could tell ydu of instances where residents were virtually compelled , to become members of the Council. There is not even a municipal corporation at Apia. Why? Well, because the New Zealand Government won't allow it — it wants all the works done by its precious Public Works Department, which, I should think, has quite enough ,to occupy its activities here. ■■...-, "Why cannot New Zealand do something to improve her • communication with Samoa? Samoa is only 1700* miles away, and; yet it took me fifteen days to come back to New Zealand. This lack of communication is ruining the trade of the island. There is a plentiful supply of fruit for export, but there are no facilities for carrying It away. If the fruit could be exported it would be quite a big industry. The Germans had a pineapple canning works going, but. of course, we let it die a natural death. "I am quite British, and I don't want you to get the impression that I am m any way pro-German, but I say, quite open-mindedly, that I think wo could very well have allowed the better class Germans to have remained, as they know the country and the natives so well. If they had remained thoy would have been of inestimable assistance to the present administration. But do you know what happened under our 'clover' scheme? The Germans were divided into three classes — those not married to Samoans, thoso who were, and those who wore hnlf-castps. The first class got deportation, tho second allowed to remain on good behaviour, the third remained unconditionally. The first class was the best type of German, who had his own European wife and did not intermarry with the native. These were the people of value. The others, who were allowed to remain, were of a lower social order, and of no great value at all. That was a big mistake we made— but it was only one of many!"