Samoan Racial
p. 10 · Read in the full issue
Purity
Chinese and Melanesian Admixture
A Growing Problem
THE danger of the Samoan race being poisoned by an admix ture of Chinese has been re ferred to already by The Pacific Islands Monthly. A writer (Mr. West brook) in a recent issue of a New Zealand newspaper, deals with the subject in vigorous fashion. The fol lowing are extracts: The Chinese were imported to Samoa by the Germans, expressly for work on the plantations, and certainly not to work as mess boys, cooks and stew ards for officials. When the term of indenture had expired they were re turned to China, but could, if they liked, sign on for another term. Some of them became so expert and useful to their employers that they signed them on again and again. For economy sake, the same vessel which brought a fresh batch back took back with them a batch of time-expired labour. The passage money each way was 50 marks or £2/10/- per head.
Laws were made to keep the Chinese labour separate from the Samoans, as it not only bastardised the Samoan race by mixing with their women, but it distracted the coolies from their work.
Colonel Logan (the first New Zealand military administrator, who governed the country after it was taken from the Germans) realised this and sent a lot of Chinese, who were having children by Samoan women, back to China.
Under New Zealand civil administra tion, the Administration or the N.Z.
Reparation Estates have imported into Samoa Chinese mechanics to do all kinds of work in connection with the Administration and Public Works.
Boiler-makers, electricians, carpenters, blacksmiths, and other workers who have been given employment. Thereby they are keeping Samoans, half-castes and our Europeans, out of work, and putting the Chinese in competition against local mechanics. These imported coolies have no family or obligations in Samoa, and what they are able to save over and above their cost of living goes back to China.
The Germans were very particular in preventing Samoans from mixing with their black-boy and Chinese coolie labour, and would on no account permit interchange of visits.
Under New Zealand’s civil adminis tration the German plantations are the property of the people of New Zea land. Samoan women are permitted to visit and live on these plantations, co habiting with and raising children to the Chinese and Melanesian labour.
The intermixing of Samoans, who are a high type of Polynesians, with black boys from the Solomon Islands, New Guinea and other places where the natives are of a different type alto gether from the Samoans I look upon as an utter disgrace. That the cohab iting should be permitted to take place on New Zealand property I look upon as more disgraceful still. The Chinese coolies are not permitted by law to marry their concubines. There will come a time when they are repatri ated and returned to China. Who then is going to look after and father their children?
What is taking place has been brought to the notice of officials. No thing has been done. The nominated faipules have never done anything about the matter.
The restaurant of the Casino, the Government hotel, was leased to a Chinese coolie. A Chinese woman has been permitted to settle in Samoa and start a business and has been given the lease of one of the New Zealand Government plantations; 141 Chinese coolies have been released in Samoa to compete with the inhabitants; 143 Chinese in the country are restricted settlers; 42 have been freed, engaging in trading, etc.; 101 are also called “restricted settlers” these work on plantations or on their own ground— actually no difference in rights.