39

A.—s

Visit to Mr. H. J. Moors's Plantation, at Fasitooufa. In reply jto questions it was stated that Mr. Cobcroft visits the plantation once a month. Apart from that it is left in the hands of a Chinese manager, who receives £15 a month. The men receive £3 12s. They do task work. Each man looks after 20 acres. If his 20 acres are clean he can take day work at 3s. a day extra. There is a Chinese woman with a Chinese baby on the plantation, but no Samoan women.

Apia, 10th March, 1920. MEETING OF HON. SIR JAMES ALLEN AND MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT OF NEW ZEALAND WITH CITIZENS' COMMITTEE. The following representations by the Citizens' Committee were submitted in pamphlet form for the consideration of the Parliamentary Party : — Samoa's Problems : A Series of Reports compiled by the Citizens' Committee appointed by the Citizens of British Western Samoa at a Public Meeting held in the Market Hall, Apia, on the 26th January, 1920, in view of the Forthcoming Visit of the New Zealand Parliamentary Party. To Sir James Allen, Hon. Minister of Defence, and Hon. Members of the New Zealand Parliament. We beg to submit the following reports for your consideration. Citizens' Committee. Labour and Agriculture. Gentlemen, — Wo have been asked to gather all the possible information and data that is within our power, and to write such reports as we consider would be required in order to bring most forcibly before you how vitally necessary to the future prosperity of the colony the supply of indentured labour is. We therefore beg to place before you, for your consideration, the following figures and facts relative to the position. We thoroughly realize the importance of the task that has been set us, and how much depends on our ability to place the position before you in such a clear, full, and concise manner that you will have no difficulty in quickly grasping the substance of our arguments and be able to follow our reasoning with a clear understanding. We are fully alive to the fact that exaggeration or rash statements, given through insufficient consideration of the situation, would have the effect of doing harm. We are therefore confining our report to statements of facts, which have been only arrived at after the most careful inquiry and full consideration. We hope to prove to you that upon your deliberations depends the future of the colony —whether it is to bo an asset to the Government you represent or a useless burden on the New Zealand taxpayer. We hope to prove to you that without an adequate supply of economic labour it will be impossible for the planters to carry on, with the inevitable result that the plantations will be forced to close down. The position we face to-day is—more labour or bankruptcy. It rests with you to make or mar us. The contrast between the condition of Samoa when the islands were first occupied by the New Zealand troops and their condition to-day is very marked, but not particularly gratifying. By dint of never relaxing industry and sheer persevoranec some of us have managed to keep our heads above water, but we can honestly assure you it has been a most strenuous tight, carried on with but little assistance from the Government and none from the bank. We will not detain you with any further preface, but proceed at once to the consideration of the points which we have chosen as the ground of our report, and in which you are especially interested. Analysis of Lands. (Extracted from report to Trades Commissioner Dalton, by Norman H. Macdonald, Commissioner of Lands.) ui'OLtT. Acres. (1.) Total Native lands .. .. .. .. .. .. 186,500 (2.) Total D.H. and P.G. .. .. .. .. .. .. 56,000 (3.) Total other German lands .. .. .. .. .. 16,000 (4.) Total British and others .. .. .. .. .. 16,500 275,000 Which may be classified as under : — (1.) First-class lands for settlement, 10,000 acres; second-class lands for settlement, 20,000 acres; waste or inferior lands, 56,500 acres ; available for Native requirements, 100,000 acres : total, 186,500 acres. (2.) Under coconuts, &c., D.H. and P.G., 9,000 acres; virgin bush, first-class lands, 15,000 acres; virgin bush, second-class lands, 15,000 acres ; virgin bush in waste or interior, 17,000 : total, 56,000 acres. (3.) Under coconuts, cocoa, rubber, &c., 8,000 acres; first-class lands for settlement (fifty to sixty Germans a-e interested), 8,000 acres : total, 16,000 acres. (4.) Held by mission societies, 4,500 acres; under cultivation (British companies), 1,500 acres; first-class land available for settlement, 4,500 acres; held as plantations partially developed (some twenty Britishers, including one or two other nationals, being interested), 6,000 acres : total, 16,500 acres. SAVAII Acres. (1.) Total. Native lands .. .. .. .. .. . . 400,000 (2.) Total D.H. and P.G. .. .. .. .. .. .. 20,000 (3.) Total other German owners .. .. .. .. .. 17,500 (4.) Total British (mainly) .. .. .. .. .. 12,500 450,000 (1.) First-class lands for settlement, 50,000 acres; second-class lands for settlement, 50,000 acres ; waste lands, 100,000 acres ; available for Native requirements, 200,000 acres : total, 400,000 acres. (2.) First-class lands for settlement, 5,000 acres ; second-class lands for settlement, 15,000 acres : total, 20,000 acres. (3.) Under coconuts, &c., 1,000 acres ; waste or inferior lands, 6,500 acres ; second-class lands, 10,000 acres : total, 17,500 acres. (1.) Under cultivation, 1,000 acres; waste or inferior lands, 6,000 acres; suitable for settlement, 6,500 acres: total, 12,500 acres. Summarizing : Available for settlement in Upolo—First-class lands, 37,000 acres; second-class lands, 35,000 acres : total, 72,000 acres. Available for settlement in Savaii—First-class lands, 55,000 acres ; second-class lands, 81,000 acres: total, 136,000 acres. In showing 200,000 acres available for Nativo requirements in Savaii and but 100,000 for Upotu, our figures may seem inconsistent, but the fact of the possibility of volcanic disturbances in Savaii have been taken into consideration.