Western Samoa—A Continuing Disappointment

THE position in Western Samoa remains unsatis factory and disappointing; and the fact is not now the fault of the New Zealand Government or the Administrator.

Neither is it the fault , altogether, of the Samoans. It seems to he due mostly to a most unhappy combin ation of circumstances.

OVER a series of years, Samoan national pride and prejudices were outraged by a succession of very well-meaning but singularly stupid officials, who were almost totally lacking in that apprecia tion of Polynesian psychology that is essential to successful Islands administration anywhere east of Longitude 180. The generous, over-expectant, hyper-sensitive Samoans objected to being ordered about as if they were Solomon Islanders. The stolid, unimaginative, well-drilled New Zealanders, very conscious of their excellent good purpose and Governmental rectitude, were driven by Samoan sulkiness from irritation to resentment, and from resentment to a sternness that was close to brutality.

Clashing temperaments and mutual disappoint ment naturally culminated in bloodshed.

Too many unsuitable men were sent to Samoa

from New Zealand —well-intentioned fellows of ex cellent character, no doubt, but men without any idea of the unique personal responsibility thrown upon all officials who enter this class of service.

Par too many went to Samoa simply with the idea of enjoying a “cushy job” in the pleasant, lan guorous surroundings of a lotus-eating land.

In view of the personnel and the conditions, and the extremely difficult character of the Samoans (disclosed in the distressful history of Samoa in the last 60 years), trouble was inevitable. The New Zealand Government, in the stolid British way, left everything to the officials. If there had been only one New Zealand Minister with sufficient vision and imagination to recognise the true position, therte need not have been the rebellion that culminated in the bloodshed of December, 1929. A wise Minister, instead of deporting Nelson, Smyth and Gurr, would have permitted those eager men to provide a channel of communication between the angry, clamant Samoans, and the only Caesar to whom they could appeal—the New Zealand Government.

However, this is all might-have-been. There were wrong, incredibly foolish acts on both sides.

It needed the clash of Christmas, 1929, and the death of Tamasese and a dozen others, to bring all

parties to their senses. Neither side had contem plated such a disaster—each must have felt bitter regrets.

Since then, 2½ years have gone—and little progress has been made.

The Samoans have relapsed into a strange con dition a blend of sulkiness, passivity and hopelessness.

New Zealand, while fiercely repudiating any sugges tion that she is acknowledging a fault, is honestly and smcerely trying now to establish better relations with the Samoans, and understand their national aspirations, and improve the condition of the Terri tory. She trying to improve the administrative personnel (a difficult thing to do, once a service has dug itself in!) and she has sent to Apia a wise, com petent and kindly administrator in General Hart whose methods differ so much from those of some of his swashbuckling predecessors that the contrast has distressed certain of our Samoan critics!

But all this has been to little purpose The Mau remains sullenly in its villages. There is much grumbling, about it and about. Mr. O. F. Nelson, regarded as the embodiment of the Samoan national spirit, remains in exile in Auckland, whence he issues a monthly newspaper that is full of aggressiveness and bitter criticism.

The Mau is making no effort to grasp New Zealand's outstretched, friendly hand. Why? It seems to be a sincere gesture on the part of the Dominion Government. Does the Mau expect New Zealand to grovel to it? That would be foolishness.

As a matter of fact, this lack of progress towards a better relationship between the Mandatory and the andated Territory is due, probably, to conditions over which neither has any control. The issue has shifted from the political to the economic field.

In 1930, just about the time when New Zea landers and Samoans were psychologically ready for a better understanding, the Great Depression settled down on the world. Every nation and every class of people in any way dependant on international barter suffered— and still suffer—acutely. Samoa, as a country of primary production, felt the pinch as keenly as any. It is a period in which taxpayers resent the burden of sheltered public services—and the more numerous the personnel and more luxurious its methods, the sharper the resentment. The Samoan public service, staffed largely by New Zealanders, was both numerous and expensive; and it has been hated accordingly by the Samoan taxpayers.

If there had been no quarrel between the Ad ministration and the indigenous population, there still would have been friction in Samoa—just as there is friction to-day in almost every civilised country in the world —friction which will continue until the economic readjustment is complete. The Samoan Mau to-day probably would be responding

to New Zealand’s conciliatory advances, were it not that its members generally are feeling the pinch of poverty, and are naturally blaming the Administra tion in a general way, for conditions that are really due to causes far beyond the control of any one country.

One is tempted to blame the Samoans for their stubborn, sullen temper, which will achieve nothing, and certainly will get Samoa nowhere. But anger with the Samoans, likewise, will accomplish nothing.

New Zealand must be patient and very tactful—all the more so, in view of the fact that she unwisely supported some very stupid officials in a very stupid policy, and placed an unjustifiable burden on the Territory in the shape of a swollen public service.

She must expiate her past faults by wisdom and great patience—in other words, follow her present policy. General Hart is doing very well, in a most difficult, discouraging job.

The Samoans, for their part, must remember that there is not the slightest indication that the Samoan Mandate will be taken from New Zealand.

Nothing is to be gained by sulking in the bush, counting grievances and gravestones. Samoa should be—and will be—one of the happiest and richest countries on God’s green earth. If the Samoans continue non-co-operation, there will be further con fusion, friction and hardship. If they take the chance now offering, and co-operate with a sympa thetic Administrator, they may secure a larger measure of self-government than they have ever known before, and do something really worth while for the future of their country. New Zealand seems to be in a mood, now, to answer generous gesture with generous gesture, and let the dead past bury its dead.

All who love Samoa and the Samoans, even those who know them only through books, hope that moderation and commonsense will be displayed by both sides, and that a new era will dawn in that beautiful country.

The immediate future seems to lie largely in the hands of Mr. O. F. Nelson, influential Mau leader, whose period of banishment will expire soon. If the New Zealanders show no vindictiveness, and Mr.

Nelson is big enough to regard the future in terms of his country’s good, rather than allow his judg ment to be coloured by the memory of his sufferings and his hatred of officialdom, the name of Mr.

Nelson may yet be written very large in the history of Samoa. Events in Samoa in the next twelve months will be very interesting and significant.

Following are extracts from private letters received in recent mails by the writer. They are presented exactly as they were written —and they were not written for publication:

The Need For Wisdom.

“To realise what the Samoans of the Mau, or any other Polynesians really are thinking, one must know their tongue—in fact, one must be one of them. . . . The official usually is only a temporary resident, and does not acquire more than a few colloquial terms in the native tongue. , . .

“If a wise administrator had spoken wisely to the Hon. O, F. Nelson a few years ago, and had made the right use of that gentleman’s abilities, there need have been no bloodshed, no titles taken, no ‘Mau.’ Fancy deporting Mr. A. G.

Smyth—how needless and absurd!

“So far as the Mau is concerned — why, it could quite easily be met and

placated even now —but not by presents of corned beef!

“Some officials have suggested that the Mau is dead. Not so! The Mau to-day is passive, obstinate, useless — but 95 per cent, are still Mau, and I suppose they will go on with it. The Mau now collect their own tax to meet

expenses, and they play Mau cricket matches —even the women.

“It’s a pity that these passive, proud Polynesians are not afforded better op portunity to till the soil and produce something in addition to the staple copra—not by force, or law —but by guidance and inducement. . . . To-day, the native does not even plant bread fruit trees to replace the dying trees.

No one in Samoa takes any real in terest in native affairs or welfare, ex cept to collect revenue or mete out the law. Therefore, one sees the natives’ growing indifference to their white lords.”

Six-Years-Old Problem.

Another writer says: “The Adminis tration is making truly desperate efforts to solve the Mau questions.

“Meetings are arranged between proved Government adherents and na tive officials on one side and Mau leaders on the other —without active and official participation of the Admin istration, however —to discuss means and methods of a final settlement. The Mau people attend these meetings, which sit for lengthy periods, because —attractive for the native —partici pants are supplied freely with food stuffs at the expense of the Adminis tration.

“But the acceptance of free meals apparently does not change the deter mination of the Mau to realise their ex pressed aims and ambitions. And so the negotiations have not led to any practical result so far.

“New Zealand, with acute political and economic internal troubles on its hands, is increasingly embarrassed by the difficulty in finding a solution of the Samoan problem, now pending for the last six years.”