REPORT ON SAMOA

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27018, 1 March 1949, Page 5

REPORT ON SAMOA

TRUSTEESHIP COUNCIL DEBATE PHILIPPINES AND RUSSIA URGE SUFFRAGE Rec. 9 p.m. NEW YORK, Feb. 27. The Trusteeship Council should urge the “ Western Samoan administering authority” to grant general suffrage to the Samoans, said Mr Victor Carpio (Philippines) when addressing the Council during a general discussion on the annual report of the New Zealand Administration. Mr Carpio said the authority should increase the industrialisation of Samoa and raise the standard of living of its indigenous populations. Mr A. A. Soldatov (Russia) said that the newly-created Legislative Assembly of Western Samoa had only advisory functions.' This was contrary to the recommendation of the Trusteeship Council. He considered it did not give the natives sufficient representation. Whereas the Europeans had five representatives for 1010 people, the natives had only 11 representatives for 67,000. Mr Soldatov also criticised the structure of the tribal system, which he described as undemocratic. Sir Carl Berendsen (New Zealand) said he was “ distressed and desolated ” by what Mr Soldatov had said. He quite well understood why Mr Soldatov had said these things, but he himself believed the administering authority had done a good job. Mr Ryckmans (Belgium) said the general impression of members of the Council, with the exception of the Soviet delegate, was that the Samoans were a happy people. He was not in agreement with the Philippines and Russian delegates with respect to universal suffrage. The Samoans had a way of life quite different from Europeans, and the introduction of universal saffrage would upset the whole system of their lives, with which they were satisfied. He held that the Samoans enjoyed better economic conditions than the people in some civilised countries. A drafting committee will be appointed later to formulate the observations, conclusions and recommendations of the Council for inclusion in a report to the General Assembly.