A “Goodwill Mission” In Samoa

'J’HE N.Z. Government’s “Goodwill Mission” to Samoa (Mr. Lang stone, Minister for Lands, and Mr.

O’Brien, Chairman of the Parlia mentary Committee on Native Affairs) returned to New Zealand on August 3, and issued to the New Zealand newspapers a statement claiming that, “as the result of our visit the mistrust, grievances and misunderstanding of the past have been cleared away and Samoa to day is a united people determined to work in harmony with the Admin istration.”

The Minister said that the follow ing ordinances, “repugnant to the Mau,” had been repealed:— The Samoan Offenders Ordinance, 1922, under w hich the Administration was empowered to banish individuals from their villages and to cancel Samoan titles.

Native Personal and Medical Tax Ordinances.

The proclamation under which the Mau was de dared a seditious organisation.

Restrictions upon free movement of individuals within the territory.

The Government had decided also to cancel arrears of native personal and medical taxes, amounting to almost £28,P00, to remit the balance

of the term of exile imposed on Mr. O. F. Nelson, and to increase by 6d. a case the price paid by the Administration to banana exporters, of whom 60 per cent, are Samoans.

The Mission announced that

thereafter it had reached “a com

plete understanding with the native

people,” on the following basis:—

Increase the number of Samoan representatives on the Legislative Council from two to four.

Pay to members of the Legislative Council, other them official members, an honorarium of £5O per annum.

Pay to fautuas (native advisors to the Ad ministrator) an honorarium of £lOO per annum.

Arrange for the setting up of a finance com mittee, consisting of three representatives of the Samoan race and one of the European community, before which committee will be placed full infor mation about public accounts, revenue, taxation, and expenditure.

Publish in “Savali” (the Samoan Gazette), in the native language, full information about the public accounts.

Make provision for the Legislative Council to disclose the estimates of the territory prior to despatch to New Zealand for the approval of the Government, and to forward recommendations by the council in regard to revenue and expenditure.

Revoke immediately the present fono of faipules (native advisory council), and to arrange the re election on September 30 next, so that, with the Mau participating, the fono will be fully repre sentative of the Samoan people.

Extend the present system of education in the administration of schools by providing for free tuition, a higher standard of education and the establishment of secondary schools.

Extend the present hospital and central system

throughout the territory with the view of bringing medical and hospital treatment within the reach of every Samoan.

Secure the services of a qualified dentist to pro vide free dental treatment for school children, and with a view later of establishing a complete school dental system for the mandated territory.

Arrange for the taking of a census at the end of the year.

The Minister, in his official report, made no reference to a most import ant decision; but his colleague, Mr.

O’Brien, announced that “the repat riation of Chinese and Melanesian labour at present in Samoa will be commenced by the New Zealand Government during the coming 12 months.

“Over 200 Chinese would leave Samoa in less than 12 months and other drafts of Chinese and Melan esians would be made from year to year until all outside labour had been removed. The delegation had formed the opinion that the Samoans could easily be brought to become industrious and, under proper Gov ernment supervision, could be al lowed to work out their own des tiny.”

Reference to this matter of Chin ese labour will be found elsewhere

in this issue. If the Chinese are removed, and the planters are not supplied with other labour (neither Samoans nor half-castes can be de pended upon to supply workers when they are most needed) the European 1 planting industry in Samoa will receive its final coup de grace, and there inevitably will develop an agitation for the removal of the Mandate from New Zealand.

The N.Z. Mission achieved noth ing in Samoa that is likely to bring about political peace or economic advancement. The reforms which were ordered were necessary, and long overdue, but they reached no where. The delegation’s recommen dations amount simply to a plan for giving the native Samoans a larger voice in the Legislative Council (purely an advisory body), and for enlarging the education and hospital services, which must mean a con siderable increase in the cost of ad ministration.

These things do not even touch the root of Samoa’s troubles —which may be found in the large half-caste population and in New Zealand’s failure to develop the country on sound economic lines —and there is no indication of how the increased costs are to be provided. Instead, by depriving the planters of labour, the Minister proposes to reduce con siderably the productive capacity of the country. The Minister’s atti tude towards the planters indicates that he recognises no responsibility on the part of N.Z. for the proper development of this rich Territory.

The “Goodwill Mission” did not achieve much goodwill. It may be taken as certain that there will be further political trouble among the natives—there were signs of it even before the Mission was back in Wel lington. It was apparent that Messrs. Langstone and O'Brien knew nothing of tropical islands conditions generally, and especially were they ignorant of the peculiari ties of the Dominion’s obligations in Samoa. They had no idea of how to approach the natives. The Editor of this journal, who was in Samoa at the time, heard those two well-in tentioned gentlemen one morning making a series of addresses to the children in the native schools. Each “missioner” spoke in each school for at least ten minutes, delivering in English a kind of politico-economic sermon. And it is doubtful whether

those little native children knew more than 20 words of English

among them!

There is a large and growing body of European opinion in Samoa in favour of a transfer of the mandate to Britain. The natives, of course, want a kind of protectorate, similar to Tonga; while the half-castes (mostly German - Samoans) are anxious to be parted from New Zea land. All interests probably would be happy if Samoa were brought under the British Colonial Office, through the High Commissioner for the Western Pacific, w r ho already governs or supervises Fiji, Tonga, Solomons, New Hebrides and the Gilbert and Ellice Groups in a very efficient manner.