CONTROL OF SAMOA

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 77, 24 January 1930, Page 4

CONTROL OF SAMOA

•- —■ FUTURE GOVERNMENi A VISITOR’S SUGGESTION (By Walter Grey) The New 'Zealand powers that bo have made an excellent commencement in regard to their control of Samoa by sending u commission to investigate (he causes of flit; recent epidemic there. This commission, .1 am sure, will do much to satisfy the native Samoans that New Zealand has their welfare tit heart, and. is sincerely anxious to be fair and just. Important as this Epidemic Commission is, it still more important commission should follow close on its heels —I refer to a political commission. 1 went with a Samoan relief force to Samoa on May 4, 11)18, and It it last March, 1919, after spending 10 months there. From the day I landed at Apia I set out to study Samoa from every point of view, but 1 gave most thought to the proposition, “In the event of New Zealand getting control of these islands, in what manner should New Zealand govern them in order to make the most of the country and its people? ’’ The investigations I made soon led me to see that two conflicting principles were at work on the islands. The first was the attitude taken up by the Samoan natives, and tire second was the point of view held by the traders and planters. The Samoans consider that their rights as the original inhabitants should take first place, and the rights of the traders and planters should be quite secondary. The traders and planters take a directly opposite point of view. To them trade and money-making is everything, and quite first in place of importance. The rights of tho nativeborn Samoans must always come second to commercial rights. As there arc over 32,000 Samoans on the islands of Savaij and Upolu, and only about 1000 whites all told, the weight of mere numbers was easily on the side of the natives.

As fate should have it, both principles have been tried for the same length of time in two parts of the Samoan group of islands. At the same time that Germany took over Upolu and Savaii, America took over Tutuila and Manu ’a. Tho native population of American Samoa is 7500, the German portion about' 37,000. Hero we have one large group of islands populated by one section of the Polynesian race, divided between two entirely different countries, and governed by two completely different forms of government, the German form being based on hard commercial lines, and the American on broad democratic linos American Method

I will deal with the American system first. Having established a naval base at Pago Pago, the Americans contented themselves with that alone as their need, .and then set to work to make the Samoans a contented and happy race. This result they completely achieved. The natives have been granted a groat amount of selfgovernment. enacting laws concerning counties and villages, and retaining, as far as possible, their old forms of government. As regards trade, the natives have each year requested the Government to handle all the copra, buying it from the natives and selling it. to the highest bidder for the year’s crop. Under this svstom no copra is bought by local traders, and the quality of copra produced is uniformly good. The largest crop over produced in Tutuila was gathered last year. For the year 191fi the quantity produced was 035 tons; 840 tons during 1917, and 1183 tons for 1918, an increase in two years of 109 per cent. The, allocation of native land is prohibited, but lands can bo leased for a period not exceeding forty ears, with tho approval of the governor. The consumption of intoxicating liquors by the natives, or the furnishing thereof to them, is prohibited. The German System

Now I come to the German system. Germany in her usual way, decided to commercialise the islands under her control and extract the last half-penny from them. While outwardly treating the natives with consideration, it seemed to mo from my study of their methods on the spot, that eventually the native Samoans would have become landless and pauperised. Germany was slowly, but none the less surely, dispossessing them from their own land. It must be kept clearly in .mind that Upolu and Savaii are both very small islands. The first is only about 40 miles long by about 14 miles wide, the second is about 48 long by an average of 25 in breadth. The Germans really were using a double-barrelled gnu, for while they had falcon thousands of acres from the Samoans, they, at the same time, imported thousands of Chinese and Solomon Island boys to work it. This indentured labour, while it may have been profitable to the Gorman planters, is an unmitigated evil, and is strongly opposed by the mass of the native population. Since the British occupation most of these coolies have returned to their own countries. As there

arc 32,000 Samoans on these two little islands, it cannot be said that they were in need of a population. Nor are the Samoans a disappearing race, I, of course, except the recent losses from the epidemic. The Samoans are a prolific race, and will in time make the loss good. Samoans and Work j The question will probably be asked: j Why did not (he Germans employ the Samoans? The answer usually given is that “the Samoans won’t work!” After mixing daily with the Samoans, I honestly feel that, I am entitled to emphatically contradict this answer. The Tongans work well, and produce | great wealth each year. The American Samoans—as I have already shown—produced nearly 1200 tons of copra last year. The normal price of copra is about, £2O per ton, which equals £2-1,000 for just, one island alone —Tntnila. The fact is, that, the j Samoans absolutely decline to work for the Gormans under coolie conditions. Their attitude towards the ! German system of commercialism and 1 exploitation was one of complete ( passive resistance. They were power--1 less against their German rulers, but while they could live their own life in their own way, (hey intended to do so. Suggestions for Government ' I believe (hat, to alter Abraham j Lincoln’s famous saving, the solution is: “Let Samoa bo governed by the j Samoans for the Samoans.” I would suggest, that New Zealand should adopt the best in the American and Tongau systems of native government,

adapted t 0 local conditions, that we should repatriate all the coo res, o Chinese and Solomon Waadeis when their indentures are finished a solutely forbid the system in the future. Then we should hand back the land already alienated to its original id * % n new Government, owners, or to the new v and lease it again on terms deerded bv Samoa’s own controlling bo y. should pant an math local to the Samoans as possible, y a peaceful, law-abidim people, and possess a remarkable aptitude for self government. We should remove the present military administration as soon I? possible, and establish In its place a sound civilian administration, which will contain a generous number of re presentativo Samoans. . 1 Wha t is urgently needed, is a com mission of able men to go to Sam a and draw up a constitution Thw commission should' visit tbe Cook Islands, Tonga, and American Samoa and should draw up a system of local government for Samoa with the help of the Samoans themselves. If this is done. I am positive success its efforts. If the New Zealand Government treats the Samoans generously nothing but goodwill will _ result. They may require a little “nursing’ at first but the islands are inherently wealthy and are now self-supporting, and I cannot see how, if they are wisely handled, they can ever be any-thin-r else. With New Zealand satistled "and the Samoans happy, peaceful and prosperous, what more could anyone want? . - .j —-—» -J