Manawatu Herald SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1919. SAMOA AND INDENTURED LABOUR.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 2064, 6 December 1919, Page 2

Manawatu Herald SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1919. SAMOA AND INDENTURED LABOUR.

MR. P. ERASER, in (lie course of his address in Eoxtou on Tuesday drew a harrowing pieturo of Hie evils eonneded with indentured labour in the Islands. He said it would have been bolder to have re--I'used the mandate than that New Zealand should be asked lo take over the administration of Samoa and perpetuate the evils of indentured labour. There is, however, another side to the pieturo. Practieally the whole of the indentured labourers now at Samoa are timeexpired coolies who have voluntarily agreed to reindenfure themselves for a further period of two years. The original indentures van out during the last year of war, when it was very diffieull. to secure transport for the repatriation of the coolies, and with the •consent of the British and Chinese Imperial authorities they were given the option of reindent tiring for a period sufficient to ensure ai return to normal times. The fact that the vast majority of the labourers readily availed themselves of the opportunity to reindenture at oin-e disposes 01. the fairy tales about “slave traliie," “alrowties," “inhumanities,” and so on ad nauseam. As a matter ot fact, the most complete precautions are taken to promote the well-being and to protect I he interests of the indentured labourers. Yery stringent regulations are in force providing for efficient sanitation, proper accommodation with sufficient air-space, ample food which must be up to a stipulated standard, medical attention, and repatriation at the end of three years. In addition, when the men were first obtained il was stipulated by the Cliine*a,Government, and it was agreed to by the German Government, alul Ims since been faithfully observed by the British authorities, that the Chinese indentured labourer should stand, for the purposes of all criminal or other matters that might be brought against him, on exactly the same footing as a European. It has to be remembered, too, that these labourers have full access to their Awn* Consul, who has been specially stationed at Apia by the Chinese Government to look-after their welfare, and that the Samoan Administration has an officer, known as the Chinese Commissioner, whose particular function it is to stand between the planters and the indentured labourers, in the same way as an In-

j'pcciv-r of Factories ’does in New Zealand between em plover and worker. The Government assuresthe public of New 'Zealand that it is just as sincere in its desire to develdp- Samoa without the aid. of-any imported labour as are the Labour leaders; but it knows, as these leaders and as all who have studied the problem know, that under present conditions this is quite impossible. The Government knows this because the Military Administration, after taking'control of'the Group, was quite averse to the continuance of imported labour at Samoa, and made a genuine attempt to train the Samoan Natives to do all the work themselves. The Administration has had to admit, after an experience of over four years, that (his endeavour has been a failure. The Government- will discontinue the system just as soon as the Samoan-Xu lives can, by educative methods, he brought tb understand that it is to their own interests to themselves provide Ills Labour. Unfortunately the general public of the Dominion does not appreciate the enormous present and potential resources of these most fertile island's, and does not realise what great opportunities they will afford for New Zealand .settlers, traders, and industrialists. Copra, rubber, cocoa, coffee, hapoc —in fact all fropical products —can be grown to perfection. But all development is contingent absolutely and without question on an adequate supply of labour. At the moment, and for some time lo come, Hi is labour will no! lie available from the Native Baumans, They will have to he educated up to the necessity to work. That education will be undertaken, hut in (he meantime the necessary workers must be imported. White men can direct, control, and supervise, but they cannot do agricultural work in the Holds, as this brings (heir bodies into (tired contact with the soil, and leads inevitably to tropical ailments. Any of the two thousand New Zealand soldiers who have served in Samoa will satisfy any elector on this point. Aork in the fields must lie (hme by coloured labour, and the Chinese arc in egery way Ihe most suitable for I lie purpose. Assuming llial the coolies arc agreeable, what possible object ion'can there he to contract workers being introduced so long as the interests and well-be-ing (if all concerned arc properly pro! ed cd / However, Ibe issue be.foi'c I he elector.- with res pod lo Samoa is a simple one: Is (he Dominion to retain control of I hose islands, which arc so vitally important lo ns both from an economic and a

strategic point of view? .If it is, a reasonable supply of union in rod imported labour must for I lie present bo pormided into Samoa. It is nut. a (plot ion of permitting tbo, Group and its people to revert to a slate of nature. The need for raw products is now so great and insistent that (be civilised nations-of the world cannot permit an intensely fertile country to remain in its natural undeveloped state, much less to revert from a highly productive stage to nature again. It is beyond dispute that if tiic Dominion of New Zealand is not willing to maintain and fully develop the plantations and re-

sources of Samoa, which can only he done inciiidiinc by n reasonable supply of imported contract labour, it nuisi be prepared (o return the mandate to the League oi Nations in order that; some other State may undertake the duly. This may not distress the Labour tenders, and may indeed be welcome to them, but is it an alternative which the loyal men and women of New Zealand to whom the war sacrifices have been Aery real are willing' to lightly accept 1