The Samoans?

Who Will "Protect"

New Zealand, United States and Britain Are Named

WE learn on good authority, from correspondents in Western Samoa, that a piquant international situ ation is developing in relation to the future of Samoa.

Samoa, politically, is divided into Western Samoa (a former German colony, mandated by the League of Nations to New Zealand); the Tokelau Islands (formerly part of the Gilbert and Ellice Colony, but transferred to New Zealand, and attached to the Samoan administration, in 1926); a v nd Eastern Samoa (which has been under American protection since 1870, and directly under the rule of the United States Navy since 1899).

The natives of Western Samoa re cently received a copy of the proposed Trusteeship Agreement, to be made under U.N.O. auspices to replace the Mandate. A report of the proceedings, and an outline of the Agreement, are published elsewhere in this issue.

The Samoans held meetings for a week, before reaching a decision. Their feelings apparently changed from day to day. Early it was definitely reported that the majority were against any fur ther association with New Zealand. They were in favour of administration by Britain; a substantial minority wanted to join up with America; while only a few expressed themselves openly for continuance of New Zealand adminis tration.

The Western Samoans, however, were unanimous in demanding that, on this occasion, opportunity should be taken to wipe out the political division of the Group, so that Western Samoa (50,000 people, under New Zealand) and Eastern Samoa (12,000 people, under United States) could be united as one people, under one administration.

In the end, the Western Samoans went into private conference with the Administrator (Colonel F. W. Voelcker) and a representative of the New Zea land Government who arrived by plane; and, as the outcome of this, they asked for self-government, for consideration of the “unnatural division” in the group, and that New Zealand should be “Protector of Samoa.” But they re jected the Agreement. (See article on page 12.) This does not clarify the posi tion.

BUT the situation in the outlying group, th'e Tokelaus, inhabited by about 1,000 Polynesians, closely akin to Samoans, was more difficult. Tokelau

never has liked the 1926 arrangement, under which it was tacked onto Samoa.

Travelling in the N.Z. Corvette “Ar butus,” the Samoan Administrator visi ted the Tokelaus early in November, and was coldly received. It appears that the native chiefs had held a meeting and, with only three dissentients, had decided to ask that the islands be transferred from New Zealand to American rule.

Usually, when the warship makes her periodical visit, the Tokelau people send away their finely woven hats and mats.

This time, they shipped nothing. Colonel Voelcker used the arts of diplomacy— and not unsuccessfully.

There are no reports from Eastern Samoa—but it is known that the natives there are as eager as their fellows in the west for a political union of the whole group.

The situation has been handled with great delicacy up to the present. But that will not last long, once the bright lads of the American Press are “onto it.”

The Samoans are fully as capable of self-government as the Tongans; and there is no reason why the group should be politically divided—except that offi cials in Wellington, Washington and London fear “loss of face.”

It looks like a minor headache for U.N.O. Probably, the situation will be discussed by the “Conference on South western Pacific Affairs” in Canberra in January,