Wanted—A Museum At

Apia

Letter to the Editor. ¥X a recent issue of the Apia paper, a New A Zealander, who during the war had served in Samoa, complained of the fact that the large Samoan War Canoe, a not able relic of the old days, which for years had been housed in a Samoan fale at Mulinu u, had, owing to carelessness and indifference of those in charge, deterior ated and had now altogether disappeared.

Numerous other valuable relics and sou venirs of old Samoa, which have been placed in charge of the Government, have also gone. It is deplorab.e that nobody seems to take the slightest interest in the preservation of ethnologically, historically and artistically most valuable specimens, most of which are irretrievably lost and cannot be replaced.

The same may be stated regarding the literature of Samoa. Hundreds of books have been written on Samoan life and his tory from the time the first missionaries reached Samoa over one hundred years ago until the present time. Many of these books, which have been written in Eng lish, German. French, and other lan guages, are now out of print and are hard to obtain. Nevertheless it should still be possible to obtain a fairly complete library of Samoan books.

Most of the white pioneers, resident in pre-war Samoa, have passed away, and these few remaining are going rapidly.

Many of these pioneers have valuable diaries, documents, and papers in their possession, which have historical value and should be preserved.

I wish to suggest that a Museum and Library be established in Apia to house the relics, books, records, and documents of value. I firmly believe that the Carnegie Foundation would willingly subsidise such a project. It is possible that the New Zea land Government would also help, while the Samoan Administration would be asked to supply suitable rooms to house the exhibits. In a Samoan Museum one room should be devoted to a collection of souvenirs and writings of that greatest of all celebrities connected forever with the name of Samoa—Robert Louis Stevenson.

There is no doubt, also, that a Museum would prove an additional attraction to visitors and tourists.

I am, etc.,

A. M. Gurau.

Apia, Samoa, 2/7/1936.