What are the Prospects of Self-Government?

From Our Special Correspondent

APIA. July 4.

IT is difficult to see how this mission from the Trusteeship Council (due to-morrow) can accomplish anything more than a good holiday; or how its report to the United Nations can be any thing other than vague, diplomatic, platitudinous, and exceedingly compli mentary to New Zealand.

After a good start in Samoa after World War I, New Zealand made a bad break by sending over a hand-picked crop of martinets and suburban Bumbles who, without imagination, tact, humour or anything else —except a sense of their own self-importance—brought Samoa to the brink of disaster.

The Labour Government that has ruled New Zealand since 1935 went into re verse as soon as it achieved power. Per haps it went too far into reverse. But it is true that in the last decade Samoa has been an oasis of peace in a troubled world.

New Zealand, whether Tory or Socialist, has never exploited Samoa in the old tradition of colonial exploitation.

An American, the late Dr. S. M.

Lambert, wrote that he would like to see all Polynesia brought under New Zealand’s care, and added that the Dominion had lavished both money and work on Samoa without thought of re turn, or even thanks, beyond the satis faction of seeing a dying race revived.

At 65,000, the population of Western Samoa has virtually been trebled since the German days.

IF they are based on statistics, the claims for self-government are very shaky.

If they are based on any suggestion of commercial exploitation, they can be ruled out.

If they are based on any allegation of interference with Samoan customs, ways of life and liberty to develop on entirely Samoan lines, they are ludicrous.

The writer has no great love for officialdom in general, but NZ official

dom in Samoa, for 13 years at least, seems to have had a genuine concern for the preservation of all that is best in Samoan tradition and custom.

Further, it has rigidly blocked any at tempts at the degradation of the people in the interests of “tourism.” Tourists, as they are known in Honolulu. Suva and Papeete, have not been welcomed with open arms in Apia since New Zealand took over.

Despite elaborate plans and endless talk, there is no prospect of anything like a sound, stable government to take over if New Zealand walked out: and the idea that Samoa would become a second Tonga is fantastic.

There would be three “kings”—Mata’afa, Malietoa and Tamasese angling and perhaps fighting for supreme power. Such a Samoan triumvirate would be an easy comparison to the strong Royal House of Tonga. The Samoans were split into three even before European days, and the tradi tion holds.

And the Samoan civil service? Custom would hold again, and HMS Pinafore wouldn’t be in the running. Not only sisters, cousins and aunts, but brothers, nephews, uncles and cousins-several times-removed would be flat out after every available or created job.

Colonel 11. T. Allan, QBE, of Rabaul, New Guinea, arrived in Sydney early in July, and will spend about three months in Australia. Mrs. Allan arrived in Syd ney in May, from Rabaul.

Mrs. Pat Gilsen left Brisbane for Port Moresby by the “Montoro” on June 14 She will Join her husband who is in business there.

Mr. Steve Young, a well-known resi dent of Western Samoa died in the Ter ritory on May 20. He had been in ill health for some time.