GOVERNING SAMOA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19929, 24 April 1928, Page 13

GOVERNING SAMOA.

POLICY OF GOVERNMENT. PROTECTING THE NATIVES. the: activities of agitators. ADMINISTRATOR AND CRITICS, [BY TELEGBAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT, j WELLINGTON. Monday. A statement regarding Samoa was made by the late Administrator, Brigadier-Gen-eral Sir George Richardson, to-day on the eve of his departure for Geneva, where he is to represent ine New Zealand Government at the sittings of the Mandates Commission of the League of Nations. Sir George declined to enter into any discussion coucerning charges made against the Administration from political and other sources, and confined his statement to a review of the action taken by him under the policy laid down in the interests of the natives.

Sir George said he had received an enormous number of letters asking him to review and reply to the charges made against the Administration, chiefly from political sources, bat he was not going to do so. He was not a politician. "The gross misrepresentations that have been made not only in New Zealand, but also in other countries concerning Samoa,"' he said, "are part and parcel of a deliberately and widely-organised plan on the part of a very small section of the community in Apia to defame New Zealand. These persons are apparently unable to accommodate themselves to the ideals of present-day government of Samoan territory m accordance with the terms in the mandate, and do not appreciate the great and generous efforts of the New Zealand Government to faithfully discharge its obligations and to make the indigenous inhabitants of Western Samoa its first care." Increase in Population. Continuing, he stressed the high ideals of the New Zealand Government in endeavouring to uplift the natives, and pointed out that already a great deal of good had been done in regard to the health of the Samoans, enabling the population to be increased to 40,000. The ideal of the New Zealand Government was to preserve Samoa entirely and solely for the Samoans. If they allowed the territory to be commercialised, no doubt it would progress by leaps and bounds and its prosperity would increase enormously, but what would happen to the indigenous people? —just what had happened in Suva (Fiji) and in other Pacific Islands where there was a large Indian and Chinese population competing with the efforts of the natives. The Polynesian was not able to stand up against the competition of the Asiatic. "If we were to commercialise the Samoan territory, as has been done in Hawaii, it would be only a matter of time before the indigenous inhabitants would disappear. Therefore, New Zealand is working on the very high ideal of keeping the country for the Samoans until such time as they are able to govern themselves. Working For All Sections. "Those whose chief interest in Samoa is to trade with the natives under the conditions which exist there to-day, and which were revealed in the report of the Royal Commission," said Sir George Richardson, "are not the persons to voice the true interests of the natives or to have any p ~>litical control over them. The Administration works for all sections of the community. We do not discriminate between the half-caste and the European, and I have many sincere friends among the half-caste population. New Zealand records show that the Administration has promoted the progress and prosperity of all sections of the community and considerably increased trade. The present discord in Samoa is not in any way due to the administration, which has done its utmost to promote harmony and goodwill between the various sections of the community. The utmost peace and harmony did prevail until 18 months ago, when a few persons, including some who had been at the same game before, deliberately incited the natives and influenced them to join with them and so make trouble in Samoa. Up to that time the natives and others had been very easy to govern. They spoke well of New Zealand. They were grateful for the many things done for them. But this small committee of Europeans, by means of agents and their own fress, published ill the vernacular —and do not think there is a vernacular press in any other island in the Pacific, apart from that issued by the Government —succeeded in disseminating false information and pernicious propaganda, which disturbed the simple minds of the Samoans and brought about the present state of affairs which has divided them into two parties. Customs of the Natives. " It has been stated that interference with old Samoan customs was the cause of this trouble. This is absolutely untrue, for neither myself nor any previous New Zealand Administrator has changed any Samoan custom except at the request of the natives themselves, or with their concurrence. During my regime, I dealt with three such customs. The first was in regard to marriages according to Samoan custom, whereby a Samoan could take unto himself a wife and when he thought fit send her back home, annul the marriage, and get another wife, repeating this as often as he liked. The Samoan chiefs not only agreed to change this custom, but actually asked for a law to be made to change it. The custom has been changed merely by an exhortation from me, and it is generally agreed to, but no law has yet been made on the subject. " The second change was in regard to fine mat malangas, which caused neglect of plantations, waste of time and money, and incurring heavy debts at traders' stores in the purchase of European food. Worse than that, it led to many disputes and troubles. The Samoans agreed among themselves to abolish these malangas for three years. No law has been made on the subject. Prior to this agitation, an overwhelming majority of the Samoans was :in favour of this tacit agreement being continued.

No Dictation of New Laws. " The third change which I refer to is in regard to the division of lands. It has been proposed by those chiefs who visited Tonga a few years 3<*o, and there saw the wisdom of such a policy, whereby every native boy receives 8£ acres of land. No law has been passed in Samoa. We have merely left it to the natives in each district to make their own laws on the subject. " Therefore." said Sir George, " it is a libel to say that interference with native customs has beori responsible for the political unrest. You will see that no changes have been made by me affecting native customs without consulting the natives themselves, and my policy has been to very gradually eliminate evil customs, and to introduce gradually that which would be best for them, but not to dictate new laws without their consideration." "The administration of the natives is carried out by a special elected official called the Secretary of Native Affairs. This official must know their language and

customs. He makes it his sole object to protect native interests. The present secretary is an ex-chaplain of "the lsi tralr.an Imperial -Forces, who served on Gallipoli and in France. He was also a missionary in Samoa for some yeai-s, and. has had great experience with the natives. His predecessor was also a very; able and sympathetic Administrator, and an ex-missionary in Samoa. These oiEcials, together with the native chiefs,, hava been the advisers of the Administrator on all native matters. Their advice is tha best advice and is invariably accepted. Is it likely that these persons are guilty of the scurrilous and libellous charges made by certain persons in this country regarding the policy of the big stick of militarism toward the Samoans V

Dealing with the sale of the nativeproduced copra, Sir George said that from the outset of his administration he had been repeatedly requested by the natives to do for them what was done for their relatives in American Samoa —to take their copra and ensure for them a higher price than they were receiving from tha traders. Sir George said he had taken up the line that he would not compete with any trading concern, but that if . the natives would produce high-class copra the Administration would ship it for them to London in the same way that it shipped high-class products for private European planters. That was all that had been done in the matter. The reason for the native dissatisfaction was that the Samoans in Tutuila got from £lB to £l9 a ton for their ropra, whereas in Western Samoa the average price paid to the natives during the last trading year was a little over £lO a ton. The Administrator was therefore placed in a very difficult position, the natives on the one hand demanding him to assist them and the merchants on the other hand being dissatisfied with him when he did afford assistance to the natives. Under the new system the natives had learned to produce copra which was paid the compliment on the London market of being regarded as of the highest quality from the South Seas. Question of " Banishments." Discussing the question of " banishments" the retired Administrator said it had been the custom from time immemorial to banish people who caused trouble in their villages. In former times banishment took the form of putting them in a canoe with a few cocoanuts and casting them adrift. Later the banishments took the form of sending them to relatives in another district. Arbitrary methods were adopted, and therefore a law was made by the Government that the natives must not be permitted to exercise banishment themselves, but that such cases must be referred to the Administrator, who was to decide whether a person should be banished or not. It was very often necessary in the interests of a man that he should be banished in order to prevent him from being murdered.

Sir George said that during his regime he had taken the precaution of appointing a committee to consider such cases and advise him before he came to a decision. This committee usually consisted of faipules. Up to the time of the agitation there were very few cases of persons undergoing banishment in Samoa. Those who had been banished during the period of political unrest had been merely sent away from one village to another to wait there until the trouble subsided and in order to control their activities. They had not been deported to other islands. During the German regime a number of natives were banished to other islands. " A Very Simple People." In conclusion, Sir George pointed out that the natives were a very simple people. In any other territory the findings of the Royal Commission would have been accepted without further agitation. Encouraged by statements published in the vernacular in / their own press and by the statements of certain people both in Samoa and in New Zealand a section of the natives was maintaining a state of unrest in order to have the matter taken to tho highest authority. The Mau movement, he said, was built up on the threat of banishment and intimidation of the natives..

On the question of prohibition Sir George remarked that this was a statutory matter. How could they allow unlimited liquor to all Europeans when many persons with the status of Europeans lived with Samoans?

In regard to the Legislative Council he pointed out that native interests were adequately protected by the official majority and were specially watched by tha Administrator and the Secretary for Native Affairs. Effect on Social Life.

The object of the agitators was certainly not to help the natives. This interference by Europeans in native affairs had completely changed the social life of the Samoans. It had affected their villages, schools, and plantations because they nad been led to believe that they need not clean their village;! or work or pay taxes. When the Hon. W. Nosworthy visited Samoa last year he got into touch with the people. He obtained first-hand information from the Europeans as well as the natives. He gave the inspirers of the Mau movement the fullest opportunity to express themselves. Having learned the truth he spoke candidly and fairly to them and appealed to them to undo the harm they had done. Had they followed his advice the trouble would have ended and Samoa to-day would have been as happy, united and prosperous as it was before the agitation started.