SAMOA

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21118, 20 March 1934, Page 14

SAMOA

THE Xt>n OR or THF PMKS*. Sir. —It must be admitted thnt ethical codes have a special value, and it must be admitted that ethical standards are the final measures for the judgment of human '.ctions. But it is only trifling with words and argument to take a particular ethical I code and :o reason that the neglect of ii is the cause of a general effect. In ihese columns, Mr N. M. Bell has stated that we conquered the Samoans by superior military might and that we continue to rule them by superior military might. '"I unequivocally state, therefore/' says Mr Bell, "my own profound conviction that we have no moral right in the Samoan Islands at all and therefore should withdraw from them forthwith." It is a pity that IMr Bell did not extend the deductions to be drawn from his statement. For instance, New Zealand was conquered by "superior military might." By superior military might the Maori conquered the Moriori, and by .-uperior military might the pakeha conquered the Maori. Therefore, according to Mr BeU* argument, we

have no moral' right in New Zealand j at all and should withdraw forthwith. Unfortunately, if we did, we would j have great difficulty in finding a land j agreeable to our ethical principles; al- j most every populated area in the j world has been conquered by J "superior military might." So the only ■ important deduction connected v. ith . Mr Bell's argument is that all moral j rights have their limitations. Moral j rights must be limited in law. and. i therefore, in law, one of the fundamental maxims is that there must be j an end to litigation. Otherwise, -he clamouring for moral rights would, cause perpetual chaos. j Ethical principles are liable to con-1 fiict with each other. Mr Bell main- > tains that we should withdraw from Samoa forthwith. Therefore Mr Bell. a maintains that we should leave The i Samoans open to the many admitted j evils of western ideas: that we should j leave the Samoans an easy prey to un- ( = scrupulous traders; that we should j v leave the Samoans to counter western : evils with native superstitions. As-; suredlv, bv Mr Bell's own argument, j r it would not be ethical for New Zea-; land to dispose of Samoa on ethical tl principles! It must be evident, theie- ~ fore, that the moral issue of the tl Samoan problem is related 10 the con-, a tinuance of New Zealand's adminis- s; tration. , ; ? Germany gained Western Samoa by .i an agreement made in i 899. The : e agreement was made with Britain; and n in 1900 it was sanctioned by the .t: United States. Now, it is interesting n to note that one of the reasons for European administration in Samoa _ was an ethical reason. The natives' , L { were fighting long and iie.vo tribal wars over the succession if * , t, is common knowledge that New Zea- ; land took Western Samoa from Oer- | n many in 1014. Further, it common c knowledge that the New Zealand Ex- , j-editionarv Force received no opposition. Still further, it is common know-; ledge that our "military might" was' not dispatched in order to slangluei and subdue Samoan?. It was dis- ; patched in order to take control of a ; strategic German possession in the Pacine in order that New Zealand could proceed to justily the principles that caused her to light in : tl.c Great War.- So to-day New Zea- • land governs Samoa under a inundate , from the League of Nations. "In all this." declares Mr Bell, "the . wishes and desires of the Samoans have no place at all. ' One of the primary objects of European inter\en-; tion in Samoa was the good of the Samoans. Mr Bell implies that New e Zealand's occupation of Samoa is: r. merely military; that it has done no- : thing for the welfaie of -he natives; and that its purpose is tiuirely selfish. In spite of propaganda, tho New Zea- • land administration has honjstly worked for the betterment of the natives. In the first place, the Sannan Legislative Council includes at least two native Samoans. It would oe impossible to detail in this space the f work and achievements e: '.he admin- j istration. But in passing it can be stated that it has established hospitals and done much to control tropical diseases. It has fostered education. In 1933. more than 15,000 children vesc being educated in government Mid I mission schools, and the government. I employed 39 teachers. It has raised the living standard of the natives by public works. For instance, nearly. <- cverv important village has oeen pro- , t vided with a reliable water supply. : 1 The New Zealand Government even | ( ( made a free gift of £25,000 to the. islands. Moreover, in law, the islands . are under the jurisdiction of the New . | Zealand Supreme Court. All these : 1 things have a moral value. New Zea- ( land's administration of Samoa is not a moral sin. But it would be a i :oral sin to leave the hospitable Sana an native to face the onrush of imaiiuted western ideas. It would !>e ;. moral sin to leave the Samoans to the danger jof bitter internal strife. It would be ( ! a moral sin to remove immediate government protection from the stole 1 ( worl; being done by the various ; ; Samoan missions. It would be a moral < sin to abandon Samoan education and Samoan health, and Samoan public facilities. Undoubtedly, there will be : ,1 improvements in the administration of > Samoa; but these improvements are 1 i elated to other improvements, and: j those improvements are related to (he . temperament and education ot die j , Samoan native.—Yours, etc.. ; < A !-i. Fairlic. March 17, 1!«4.