Correspondence.

White Ribbon, Volume 26, Issue 304, 18 October 1920, Page 7

Correspondence.

The (editor is not responsible for opin ions expressed in this column.

(To the Editor.) Madam, I read with a great deal of interest the leading article of the “White Ribbon" for July, the article dealing with indentured labour in c’ninoa. Living in Samoa as T do, 1 have taken an especial interest in your article, and sympathising, as I do, so much with the work of the W.C.T.t 1 ., I regret that an article should have appeared in your paper that reveals tie writer’s ignorance of the facts in so many directions, I regret this, because to elaim, as the writer claims, a know ledge of the facts (sic) and then to reveal. as the writer reveals, ignorance of facts is to weaken the case against indentured labour very greatly indeed, I propose to examine the writer’s article with care. (1) The writer says that the N.Z. (lov < rnment is compelling "helpless savages to labour that Samoa may be more pro duetive." It would be difficult to im agine a statement more filled with error than this. It misrepresents the case in more ways than one, for the indentured labourer of Samoa cannot be called a savage, he is not helpless, and ho is not compelled to labour in order that Samoa may be made more productive. 1 say he is not helpless, for if he is wronged, there is a Chinese Consul here ready and most willing to take up the cudgels on his behalf and see justice done. Nor is he compelled to labour aS suggested, labour he must, but he labours to satisfy the demands of an agreement en lered into of his own free will prior to leaving his own land for our shores. How can the writer suggest that men should not be compelled to keep their Agreements? If such is meant, then the suggestion cuts at the root of all law and order, and deserves the condemnation of all right-minded men and women. The labour of sonic indentured labourers is quite unproductive; some do not labour to mako Samoa more productive, but all labour in order to keep their agreements. (2) "The South Sea Islands have native indentured labour,” says the writer • artlessly, knowing that Western Samoa consists of islands all in the South Seas, and forgetting that hero there is no native indentured labour. This is a minor matter, merely serving to show the lack of knowledge of the writer.

(3) The writer further on writes about the "racial pollution that follows imported labour," and it is quite plain that here we have another argument against indentured labour. To brand intermarriage between members of races so unrelated as are the indentured Chinese and tin* Samoans as race-pollution is to beg the whole question. The question really is: Is ;t pollution? Are the children of such marriages inferior to their parents? Do they, as is suggested. inherit the* vices of both parents and inherit no virtues? Has the writer s<*en such children? Has the writer any first-hand experience of such children? 1 doubt it. Now I speak or write from first-hand knowledge. I am personally acquainted with many halfeast es. who are the offspring of minions between white men and Samoan women. (’an 1 venture to assert that these are wholly vicious and lacking in the virtues? Such an assertion would be an atrocious libel, warranting nothing but condemnation. All that can be said is that some are good and some are l«id. Definite statistics are not available. Now there is a greater gulf between the v/hite man and the Samoan on the one hand than between the indentured labourer and the Samoan on the other hand, and if we are to call or brand a union between the latter two as racepollution. what shall we call the former sort of union? 1 leave this question unanswered. My opinion is that the term "racial pollution" is a term covering abysmal depths of ignorance. Only yesterday I saw a Chinese and, his wife (Samoan) and their five child k n. The Chinaman had been ?'> years working on one plantation without break, "'he wife was not more than SO years of ago. and the children were apparently none aged more than ten. 1 took particular notice of the children. They were as fine-looking, as healthy, as intelligent a family as one could meet with in New’ Zealand. Oivon a wise and suitable education, there is no reason \\h> these half-castes should not do credit to the New Zealand Ad ministration of Samoa. I candidly admit that this is the only family of this kind that I have noted. Nevertheless, 1 am certain that what I have said of one family applies to all such and similar families. (4) The writer lays great stress upon Ihe statement that a native and his wife can go as free labourers, earn more in a day than the planter can afford to pay them in a month, and from this infers that the planter, by employing an indentured labourer for a month con-

sistmg of 25 working days, and by 1 aying as wage the proceeds of one day’s toil, is enabled to pocket as his own the proceeds of 24 days’ toil. Let me say, first, that the use made by the writer n r M'e statement stressed by the compilers of " Samoa's Problems’ shows ignon.nce of plantation life. Se«ondiy, it is assumed that the cutting out of 4001bs. of dry copra can be done every., day, an assumption revealing the same thing, namely, ignorance. To :rot tooibs. of dry copra, over 1200 i ocennuts have to !>e found, very pro bably a day’s work in itself. They have then to Ih* husked. The cocoanuts have then to be carried home. Then they have to he split in halves. So far three or four days have been spent in the-e preliminaries. Then the drying takes place. If it rains, no drying mn be effected, for the drying is done by the sun. If, however, it does not rain, even then the copra will take at least three days to dry. After this time of variable length has passed, then comes the cutting out. that is. the cutting out of the copra from the shell. \fter this comes the carrying of the copra to the* store on their shoulders to he sold. The cutting out may take a day. but this time, together with the days of preliminary and subsequent labour, will probably, under favourable < iron instances, extend to a fortnight. A further question arises; How often can this lie repeated? As soon as one lot of copra is disposed of. can the process be at once repeated? It must be remembered that copra is a crop, that after a harvest there must be a pause, and that the native and his wife, after cutting out 4001bs. of copra, must wait awhile until another 12M> nuts are ripe. It can now be easily seen that, contrary to the assertion of the writer, it is not "an easy calculation to find out what a planter expects to put in his pocket." and that the planter does not "pocket the proceeds of the labourer’s month’s work and return him the price of one day’s work.” The truth is very far from this. (.'») The writer throughout ignores, or rather is ignorant of one very important difference lie tween American or Eastern Samoa and Western Samoa. In the former there are very few. if any, non-native planters and plantations; in the latter they are numerous. To draw any contrast between a land in which no necessity for indentured la hour is admitted and a land in which there exists sueh. and in which there is claimed greater need for much more such, and to introduce such contrast

into ;m artiek* <loalinu with indentured labour is not fair <liscussion. (6) "Free labour will develop Samoa. ‘ says the writer. Well, let the writer 101 l us where the free labour is. The Samoans have enough to do as it ts. and since this is so. where can be obtained the necessary supply of free labour? Now I shall write no more at present. I close by recommending: the writer to make more sure of her facts .and of her inferences from the said facts. It would be a good thing: for her to come here and s*-e things for herself —1 am. etc.. S.P.Q.R. Apia. 4th September. 1920. (The writer of the article referred to claimed no first-hand knowledge of Samoa, but for statements made quoted authorities of who e value the reader could judge. Facts about native indentured labour in New Guinea and New Hebrides were supplied by two missionaries long resident ther . Samoan facts were mostly from planters’ own statements. There was no suggestion that the rhinese should not fulfil their contract, but (bat such a one sided contract should never lie entered into. In regard to Racial Pollution. Fiji is an object-lesson that we can never ignore. The writer is quite aware of the difference between Kastern and Western Samoa, and the writer of this letter admits all that was claimed when he says "In American Samoa there are few. if any. non-native planters." .Tust so; where the Samoan is n free labourer, in other words, where he owns his own land, there is no need for indentured labour. So sa> “S.P.Q.K." Does this not confirm what the writer of the article ,Un ned. that the Samoan will work whe a he himself, and not a foreign pis*.iter, reaps the reward of his toil.Editor "W.R.")