The New Zealand Times. SATURDAY, MARCH 13, 1920. SAMOA

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 10537, 13 March 1920, Page 6

The New Zealand Times. SATURDAY, MARCH 13, 1920. SAMOA

Nothing could" he hotter {ban the announcement that Samoa is to bo governed in the interest of the Samoans. Sir James Allen made the statement to a deputation that waited upon him to consider various interests in the new dependency 'of Now Zealand. The mandate to govern. Sir James Allen said, which wo have accepted, requires that the Government must consider the SamOan people first, as of, paramount right in the matter. To the announcement Sir James gave the support of a sympathetic reference to the dignified and proud Samoan race. He used the words to emphasise his refusal to make any difference in the effect of the prohibition proclamation between the European and the native inhabitants. But the __ principle applies throughout all the points of contact between the European and Samoan civilisations. If it is impolitic to argue and impossible to persuade the dignified and proud Samoan that he should bo forced into .temperance, when his white fellow-citizen is loft free to drink as much alcohol as he can carry safely, and, if not safely, under penalty, it must he also impolitic to make other distinctions, and often impossible to succeed in many attempts to do so. For example, there is the question of letting the Samoan lands, which are of great fertility, lie idle. Sir James said that in the interests of humanity in general these lands must be productive. The proud and dignified Samoan ' landholder will ask, if so much fertile land in New Zealand is allowed to remain less productive than it ought to he, although tho interest of humanity in general requires it to he fully used, why there should he any special effort to compel him to make his fertile land give of its best. The proud and dignified Samoan may even support his question by quoting the statement of Sir James Allen that Samoa is to he treated as an integral portion of New Zealand.

Obviously that statement must have its limits of application, for otherwise there would not be any difficulty at all in the government of Samoa. As a matter of fact, there would he no noed for a mandate to take the place of independent government of Samoa by the Samoans. The difficulties have not escaped the attention of the Samoans themselves, as their numerous questions attest. For instance, they do not quite understand the need for the Constabulary force that takes the place of the army of occupation which held the islands after their capture from the Germans. It seemed to some of the questioners that ■ tho necessary policing could be done by proud and dignified Samoans. They tyere told that the Constabulary is a necessity, for a reason which Sir James Allen cannot at present divulge. The answer could hardly ho satisfactory to these proud and dignified people, for they had added sensitiveness to their other qualities, complaining that they had not •been notified of the coming of tho Constabulary. They, in facf7 16oked askance at the substitution of these armed men of alien race for those other men of the same race withdrawn. Wc are, of course, not contending that it was wrong to send tho Constabulary force to Samoa. We aro only pointing out that the whole episode illustrates the . difficulty of tho government of Samoa at the outset. There is cause for hopOj however, in, another matter. There was a terrible complaint about the censorship in Samoa, but, thanks to tho journalistic members of tho Parliamentary expedition, who took hold of tho matter, it wag discovered that the editor of tho local newspaper which made the complaint had loft tho duty of editing his paper, which was essentially his own, to the censor, who naturally got confused between matters of ordinary editing and matters of extraordinary supervision required in time of war. Tho difficulty thus tackled disappeared. It is a good beginning, giving reasonable hope that in all difficulties of a situation which is anomalous a little com-mon-sense will prove' an effective, stabiliser.

The best impression made by the latest report we are discussing is made by the account of the visit of members of the expedition, to the Training School of the London Missionary Society. Theso visitors wero struck by the excellent arrangements of this school,' and Sir James Allen voiced their appreciation of the intelligence and fine physique of the 400 young natives of both sexes so well trained in tho situation. Sir James said, with apparently enthusiastic approval, that tho future of Samoa lies with those young people. Ho was quite right in alluding to the sense of dignity and pride of tho remarkable race inhabiting those islands. Those who have fought with them have always acknowledged their valour and conduct In War, Those who have negotiated with thorn, and those who have read their history, have been always struck by tho intelligence‘they display, by their clever handling of different points, by their astuteness, and by their fidelity to principles. Those who have lived among them acknowledge their amiability, extol their reasonableness, appreciate their devotion to high ideals, fine traditions, and love of freedom.

Education is a groat power with theso people. By its help their high intelligence can obtain a grasp of the problems of civilisation, and of the good government which flourishes among a people patriotic, self-respecting, and passionately loving freedom. Therefore, it is true that the future of their islands lies in tho bands of the educated young people of this fine race. They will turn from war, which was long the curse of their history. They will appreciate tho civic virtues and tho law and order of which these are the firm basis. They require time to acquire thi-s habit of steady industry. In acquiring it it is not necessary to force them to degrade it into moneygrubbing. There is no need to worry about making their (fertile lands supply the wants of a world more complex than their own, for there are many fertile countries which can do that quite well. Wo mean that tho interest of humanity does not require these people to bo either forced to work inordinately, or elbowed out of their inheritance to make room for foreign cheap labour and alien profiteering. It is right to say that the future of Samoa lies in tho hands of the educated people of Samoa. That is a fine, free translation of the mandate wo hold for Samoa. The .mandate should make Samoa profitable in the interests of the Samoan people. It must not be read as a free permission to oppress that people in tho interest of tho Almighty Dollar.