THE SAMOA TROUBLE

Evening Star, Issue 19615, 22 July 1927, Page 4

THE SAMOA TROUBLE

COMPETITION IN COPRA

IKTEBFEEBSE WITH TRADERS' ALLIANCE IMPORTANCE OF NATIVE CUSTOMS. [Per United Press Association* ] HASTINGS, July 21. With a view to obtaining a little knowledge of the actual working conditions m Samoa and au unbiassed opinion on Samoan affairs, a ‘ Hawke’s Bay Tribune ’ representative waited on a well-known settler of Hastings, Mr T. E. Crosse, who since 1906 has been vitally interested in matters pertaining to the islands of the Pacific. ‘‘The original ideas of Sir George, Richardson were to educate the people of Samoa and to encourage hygiene and production,” stated Mr Crosse. “ Tnis was all right, of course—perfectly sound. It did not interfere with rested interests nor was it likely to, and its results to a great extent added to the prosperity of the community. Copra, or cobra, as the islanders call the flesh of the cocoannt, is by far the biggest industry in Samoa, and when - the Administrator had developed his original schemes ho directed his attention to this industry, naturally to the dislike of tho traders.” Mr Grosso then explained that in Fiji the banana was the chief source of revenue, and hero buyers would gather together, fix the price for the fruit, and they rarely paid more than 4s 6d for a case of “901 b to 1001 b. Something akin to this was instituted in Samoa, where copra buyers entered into an alliance, and fixed the price at, ■which they would purchase material. Naturally, if any outside interests camo into competition there would be ill-feeling. “ This is just what General Richardson has done,” declared Mr Crosse. “He has suggested that tho Government should step in as a buyer, but be lias gone further than that. He lias plainly hinted that tho Government should pay £6 per ton more than what the local buyers were paying. This, I think, is one of the primary causes ot all the trouble.” So far as bo could make out the idea of the Administrator in increasing the price was to give the natives more encouragement to increase production. The speaker considered that there was much scope for improvement. He pointed out that the buyers offered the natives £S per ton, while the-- London market parity was in the vicinity of £27 ](K The suggestion to increase the price naturally led to export traders adopting au antagonistic attitude to the local Administration. Mr Crosse explained that before and since tho Mataafa wars, early in the century, there had been two strong parties amongst the natives. One favored British interests and the other was anti-British. Now the trouble was that certain parties of vested interests bad sided with those opposing British rule. This was a very grave mistake for anybody who know the native fully, and understand what it meant to mingle with his affairs. 'Unfortunately, General Richardson, perhaps quite innocently, interfered with the maua of the chieftains. It was simply a mattor of want of knowledge, but nevertheless it had a most important bearing on the situation in general. Asked if he could suggest any means of putting the parties-on an amicable basis for negotiations, Mr Crosse suggested that, if a delegation were sent to Samoa, it should acquaint itself with native customs and make thorough investigations into tho position, but, above all, it should be very careful to explain fully any questions, not only to the party in favor of the Government, but to the Opposition. “Scud a good man who has a knowledge of Maori customs, and ho will quickly know how to arrive at a satisfactory state of affairs.” Reverting to tho vested interests, Mr Crosse broadly hinted that retrain traders who had recently figured prominently in the matter were stirring up the natives purely as a dispute against the Government’s proposed interference in their business. Vested interests and commerce were, he believed, the crux of the whole matter, and these other questions that had been raised were merely brought up as an excuse to deter the New Zealand Government from interfering with the so-called legitimate rights of the tradrrs.

MINISTER AMD CITIZENS’ COMMITTEE

WELLINGTON, July 21. Messrs Nelson and Smythc, members of the Samoan Citizens’ Committee, now in Wellington, when interviewed, stated, inter alia, that tho members of tho committee and others who criticised the Administration had been branded as pro-Germarte, which was absurd. since five of tho six European members of tho commtitee aro Britishborn and the other is Samoan-born. Mr Nosworthy, in reply, says that he never applied tho term pro-German, but ho does say now that the members of the committee canuot evade responsibility for the charge that the disturbances of the Samoan people are being used to discredit New Zealand in the opinion of the world, and incidents have been used by German propagandists and publicists in a campaign for .the restoration 'of Germany’s lost colonies.