OUR SAMOAN POLICY

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume XVII, Issue 5881, 8 April 1920, Page 3

OUR SAMOAN POLICY

MR HOLLAND'S.CRITICISM

REPLY BY SIR JAMES ALLEN

IS THE WORLD TO GO BACK?

/ {By Telegraiili.—Preas Association.) p WELLirraTOT*. tliis day. y Sir James Allco. offered a few com■monts yesterday on a statement on of the Labor Party by Mr Hol•■*<J«Ad, M.P.j regarding the Government policy iin Samoa, "Mr Holland's statemQ.it amounts to this/' said the Minister, "*that he would prefer tb sec the islands invert to a state of nature rather thain that indentured labour should be bi'ought into the >isla(nds. He is face to face with the fact 'that the lessening oif cultivation i/.i these islands would shorten the supply of food and other necessaries for very mahy people who now draw their supplies from these islands and tor many more who would ■ do so if the land was mere .:,ntense)ly cnltivatcd. If the islands arc nJhywied to '

revert 'to a state of nature the reversibn must affect the cost of living. Do;es Mr ' Ho'llalnd wiint the cost of living to be in-1 creased, as it mujjt inev/.tably be in- ' creassd if we are going to cut down the world's supplies of such commodities as margarine, oil cake, rubber, cocoa, kapok, sugar, tea, c'offee, cotton, and ' soap ? If we aot'e to iaJlow 'these and • other tropical lands to relapse iuto a ' istate of nature and to go cm.t of culti- i yation, tliese will be the inevitable re- ' suits. That is my answer to Mr Hoi-' land's point." I