CHINESE IN SAMOA.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 123, 26 May 1932, Page 22

CHINESE IN SAMOA.

That the "Chinese in Samoa" have become a serious menace to the purity oi the Samoan race is not disputed by any of vour correspondents. The interest that has at last been aroused is very welcome to everyone who has the welfare of the Samoans at heart. Mr. \. 8. Chan is quite entitled to complain about foreigners in China who pretend to marry Chinese women and then, leave them behind with their babies when they return to their own country. But though thev arc making a sorry muddle of affairs in China, the Chinese still have self-government and should find the means to introduce such remedies as they know how to counter this evil. That is not' the case with the Samoans, whose "neutrality, autonomy and independence," guaranteed by the three "reatest Powers in the world, have been taken away from them and repeated petitions and prayers for the restoration of that status have been just as repeatedly ignored till now. I know that "the Chinese were in Samoa before New Zealrnd took over those islands," but that does not in any way justify the perpetuation of what is now fully recognised an evil to the welfare of what is stated to be "a' sacred trust to civilisation." I know several other things which perhaps "Samoa" does not wish to know. They are: (a) That the Chinese were brought to Samoa purely to serve the white man, and therefore in his selfish interests, which are in this case detrimental to the indigenous population; (b) that prior to New Zealand occupation, the Government did not lose sight of their responsibility to the Samoans and took every precaution to prevent assimilation of the Chinese with the Samoans; if this had been kept in view, there would . perhaps have been less '-round for complaint now; (c) that the Chinese were not allowed free entry to the houses of the Samoans, and no coolie was allowed to remain in Samoa except he was on proper indenture. This wae not the case later, as many of the coolies were allowed to roam about for a- long time without employment, and a lar«e number were recently eent away after the Government had been told ot this over and over again; (d) that as a member of the sanitary committee in 1024-1025, the writer drew the attention of the Government to the many Chinese coolies living with Samoan women in deplorable conditions, encouraging a state of immorality and nothing was done at the time; (e) that it was in his efforts "to use that influence which should prove beneficial" to the Samoans that the writer is now serving a long term of deportation from his native country, his home and his people; (f) that at the latter part of last year an official holding an important post under the High Commissioner for the (British) Western Pacific Islands informed the writer that he had just returned from Samoa, whore, while staying at Government House, he offered to" supply all the labour required by Western Samoa from the neighbouring Polynesian Islands, inhabited by the. same race of people as the Samoans. The writer offered his hearty co-operation and support, but so far nothing further has been heard of this proposition. There is no reason why "Tusalava," "Samoa" and other New Zealanders professing good will to their Samoan wards should not now demand from their Government | the reason why this happy solution of the question has not already been put in operation. TAISI.