What Is Western Samoa Doing

For Its 3800 Half-Castes?

Specially written for “The Pacific Islands Monthly’’ by a Samoan Planter.

AT the present time —and for the last six years—the “Mau”, or national movement of the Samoans, with its policy of passive resistance against the New Zealand Administration, at tracts the attention of those interested in Samoan affairs.

It is generally overlooked that, be sides this purely political problem, an other problem, social and economic, has grown more difficult and important, chiefly as a result of the world-wide depression during the last two years.; This is the problem of the ever-in creasing half-caste European popula tion, for which a place in the economic structure of the country cannot be found.

Of all the Pacific Islands, only in Hawaii is the problem of like import ance —though Hawaii, with its large and varied plantation industry, tourist traffic, etc., offers far more opportun ities for remunerative employment than the much smaller Samoan Islands.

According to Census figures of January 1, 1910, the half-caste popula tion of Western Samoa at that date amounted to 1003 souls, or, in a total population of about 35,000, approxim ately 3 per cent.

In 1930, the figures given in the official report to the League of Nations estimate the European and half-caste population, at December 31, 1930, 2,815. Of this number, about 500 are whites, so that the half-caste popula tion is estimated at 2,300. Out of a total population of about 45,000, at that date, the half-castes represented over 5 per cent.

The local-born of European-Samoan origin have, during the last 20 years, more than doubled their numbers, whilst their proportion of the total population has gone up from 3 per cent, to 5 per cent.

One very important point has to be taken into consideration. The demo graphic statistics of 1930 do not give any specific figures for the large number of Chinese-Samoan origin.

They are enumerated mostly as “Native Samoans”, though by educa tion and legal status they should be statistically treated as European half castes. Their number may be correctly estimated as 1,500. When added to the 2,300 half-castes of European descent, we thus find that the total half-caste population of Western Samoa comes to the large total of 3,800 out of a popu lation of 45,000 —or approximately 8½ per cent.

A large number of half-caste boys, attending mainly the Marist Brothers School at Apia, complete their school term every year and look for employ ment. Their chances of obtaining work of any kind are very slender. A very few may find work as office boys, mes sengers, engineers’ assistants, motor car drivers, or traders. But the majority must await some chance that the un certain future may bring them; and this chance may net come for years.

The first who realised the serious ness of the problem, and sought a solution, was the former Administrator, General Sir George Richardson, who, during his term of office, started courses of instruction for local born boys in plumbing, carpentering, wireless, etc. Unfortunately—probably owing to the political trouble —this well-meant attempt was given up after a few months.

General Richardson also requested the Planters’ Association to prepare some scheme of land settlement for local born boys, by which the Administration would lease small plots of land to suit able applicants and, under supervision, enable them to plant cocoa, bananas, and other products, so as to make a homestead and become useful members of the community. A scheme was pre pared and discussed, but for the same reason as the cessation of the instruc tion courses, did not get farther than the initial stage.

In a recent letter regarding the European petition to cut up the Gov ernment Reparation Estates, Sir George Richardson says: “I realised some years ago that such a policy would ultimately be necessary in the interests of that comparatively large section of the community—the locally-born Europeans, including those of mixed descent, whose well-being I strove so hard to serve during mv five years’ regime in Samoa, and whose future welfare I have still very much at heart. ... I have always viewed with anxiety the lack of suitable avenues of employment in Samoa for the large number of boys who receive a good education at the Marist Bros.’

School and leave there with no future prospects of playing their part as good citizens, because of the absence of a

land policy providing for their absorp tion as planters.

“If no progress has been made in so providing for these youths since I left the Territory, their position must now be very serious, and I feel sure that you have only to represent the problem to your Administrator and make constructive proposals to him, in order to have immediate action taken to remedy the position.”

There is no need to further elaborate the problem described by Sir George Richardson. The Administrator, it is true, is unable, owing to the difficult financial position of the Treasury, to render any financial assistance. In normal times, steps could be taken to establish some kind of agricultural school for local-born boys, or at least some kind of lessons, to prepare the boys for work on plantations.

Strange to say, Mr. O. F. Nelson, who is considered the leading local-born citizen of Samoa, in a political as well as economical sense, and who has de voted so much time to the furtherance of the Mau movement, has never paid much attention to the future of the Samoan half-castes, nor has he ad vanced any practical ideas or sugges tions for the solution of the problem.

Economically, the native Samoan is much better off than the unemployed half-caste. The former, living on his own land, is practically self-sustaining.

It is to be hoped that the New Zealand Government will realise the urgent need to make the Government planta tions and bush land in Government possession available for closer agricul tural settlement by the local and local born population.