MANUA NATIVES WANT REGIME UNDER U.S. NAVAL CONTROL

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22826, 22 December 1948, Page 5

MANUA NATIVES WANT REGIME UNDER U.S. NAVAL CONTROL

TTJTUJLA (U.S. Samoa), Dec. 21

Thirty-six chiefs of the District of Manna, comprising three islands some 65 miles east of Tutuila, have petitioned President

Truman to establish a separate Manua Government, which would remain under American naval jurisdiction.

The petition was in the form of a letter to. “our father in Washington,” which asserted, in part, “We, the leaders of Manua, confess that our own people are not ready to accept a radical or newer change in our local Government. We know we have no knowledge or experience in foreign law-making and Western ideas. “The Western world’s ambition and interest in commercial progress is and are beyond the understanding of our people. We are not now a commercialminded people but rather craving for the preservation and continuation of our own communal happy and peaceful life. This is our wish and nothing more and we must, therefore, not decieve ourselves and our posterity. “We truly believe a radical change toward the idea of earning great revenue for a new Government, at this time will open the way for commereial purposes upon our land.

“Our virginal land is not sufficient, for both purposes—domestic and commercial use—and, in the long run, our land will not have enough space to produce the needs of our domestic life.

“A change will, in our opinion, eventually arrive and we hope for our foreign educated youths to be the captain of our ship at such an hour.” A general Samoan assembly in October requested that the present American naval Government be retained for a period not exceeding 10 years.

The Manuans, comprising 2700 people in some 250 family groups agree, but prefer to make the period of transition an indefinite one. The formation of a Government separate to that at Apia was suggested to assure the continuation of a "simple life at home” as long as possible.