Editorial Note

TI/fR. REED, in the opinion of this ITI wr iter. has not dealt boldly enough with his subject—he seems to be afraid of giving offence to snuffy officialdom.

During a few weeks spent in Western Samoa, in 1936, I had the opportunity of meeting many European-Samoans. old and young and of both sexes; and I can say without hesitation that in beautv. in telligence and moral worth those “half castes” will compare favourably with nny equal number of people taken at random out of a European community. The young women especially are attractive— are almost all beautiful and vivacious, and what they lack in worldly knowledge they more than make up in amiability.

Smug people in Samoa, considering the “European-born” as a community, will probably find several reasons for dis couraging marriage with Europeans: but if tbev would search out the truthful history of European-Samoan girls who have married Europeans and then left Samoa for the more tolerant communi ties of Australia and New Zealand, they

would find, in almost every case, a re cord of a successful marriage and of happy motherhood. One visit to a social gathering arranged by the Polynesian Club, in Sydney, would supply interesting and reassuring evidence about such marriages.

There is a scientific explanation. The racial base of the pure Polynesian con tains perhaps 30 per cent of Caucasian blood. Thus, a European-Samoan half caste is much more than a half-caste, and other things being equal future alliances of this racial product with Europeans need not be contemplated with alarm.—R. W. ROBSON.

Dr. S. M. Lambert, representative of the Rockefeller Foundation in the West ern Pacific, left Fiji for New Zealand recently by the Matua to report on the health conditions of the Maori race for the N.Z. Government.