FUTURE OF SAMOA

Thames Star, Volume LII, Issue 18644, 9 March 1918, Page 3

FUTURE OF SAMOA

1 CHIEF'S OPINION.

"I would rather die," said Fia Fauanunia, while on a visit, to Suva recently, than see Samoa'go back to Gearaian rule." Faumunia is a Samoaix chief, at present engaged as an Insepctor of Plantations in Samba, and speaks English toler- - ably well. "Under the Germans," he said, "we wera discouraged in every way. We.were not allowed to 4ave motor-boats, for instjance, and, where so much depend on water taaffic, this was a hardship. Needlees to say, wa were denied motor cars even where we had the wherewithal to purchase them. We had no commercial freedom and littfe civil freedom. U it is left to tiie Samoans to decide who shall Tule us we shall undoubtedly choose our own present rulers. We all want the British.'? Faumiunia preferred, not to express an opinion as to whether it should be New Zealand or not. One of the reforms he waxed eloquent about was the improvement in methods to cope with the cocoanut beetle, which wreaks such bavo-i in the cocoanut. "There are competitions for the varioua districts," he said. "For the village which does best in each district a prize of £20 is giy*n, "^hile tnoie are other " prizes of £10 and £5. These prizes are " allotted, every tjhreo months. "—Auckland Star.