SAMOAN ADMINISTRATION.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18991, 12 October 1923, Page 10

SAMOAN ADMINISTRATION.

GENERAL RICHARDSON MAKES GOOD. IMPLICITLY TRUSTED BY NATIVES (From Our Own Correspondent.' AUCKLAND. October 11. Mr J. J. Dougall, of Christchurch, who has just spent a month in Samoa, made an interesting statement in regard to the Administration of that territory. The opinion I formed, and it is the one endorsed by the Europeans.” said Mr Dougall, “is that General Richardson lias made good with the natives. They believe in him implicitly and arc prepared to accept his word in respect of any matter brought before him. I am satisfied that the trouble of two years ago, when the natives sent a petition to the King asking to be placed under the control of the Colonial Office, has disappeared. There are, however, sertain disabilities with which, under the existing law, the administrator has no real power to deal. During the lighting of the nineties the Samoans wont hack into the bush and established their plantations, but when peace came they returned to the coast and erected now villages the sea shore, thus separating themselves from their plantations and food supplies. It is necessary that (hey should now have land alongside the villages for the planting of food. All (ho land held by the Gorman planters was taken over by the Crown. Much of (his land adjoins the native villages, and it would be a simple matter to supply the needs of the natives in this respect if the New Zealand Government would authorise the Administrator to do so. “The greatest problem in Samoa from a financial point of view is that of the management of the Crown estates. Every European I have spoken to is satisfied that it is as bad as it can be.” They were, continued Mr Dougall. certainly losing tens of thousands of pounds annually, yet while the Germans held them they were a payable proposition. On the deportation of the Germans (he estates were neglected, and owing to the intensely rapid growth of weeds it would cost a great deal to bring the plantations back to .a state of production. One of the difficulties in the territory, and particularly in regard to the working of the land. wa s that of labour, said Mr Dougall. The Chinese were now working tinder a system of free contract. Ho had it on the best authority that they would prefer indenture to this system. The reason was that under the indenture system they knew that they were absolutely provided for. They were paid for Sundays and holidays as well a s for sick time, while they were certain of getting the necessaries of life. Under the fre** system, while they certainly received higher wages, they lost this in holiday and sick pay. and had to provide for themselves. Under the circumstances they were beginning to think that they would bo- much better off under the indenture system. The civil service, according to the idea in Apia, said Mr Dougall, was overmanned, and the expense of running the Government was too great. “Personally,” he said. T am not in a position to express an opinion on those points, hut I think I might go so far ns to say that if the public expenditure in New Zealand were as heavy, the people would jet (heir voices he heard! Some of the principal civil servants in Samoa are not attached to the civil service of New Zealand, and arc consequently not entilled to superannuation or pensions.”