America Perpetuates Political

Division of Archipelago

Wellington, Dec. 1.

W'.HEN the Samoa Amendment Bill was before the NZ Parliament late in November, Mr. F. W. Doidge, MP. made an interesting comparison between the new government which NZ is now setting up for Samoa, and the plan re commended by the UNO mission.

Mr. Doidge said the UNO mission was prepared to give the High Commissioner for Samoa fuller powers than the Bill proposed, and recommended that he should have exclusive rights to initiate Finance Bills, and the right of disallow ance over all measures passed by the Samoan Legislature. It seemed clear now that those powers would rest with the Government in Wellington.

The Prime Minister indicated that that was so.

Mr. Doidge said it was clear that the petitioners had the idea, some day, of making one nation of the Samoans, the petitioners asking that an end be put to the artificial division of the Samoan Islands, established, so it was claimed, without the consent of the Samoans. In 1898, following an inter national wrangle, Eastern Samoa passed under the control of the United States and Western Samoa went to Germany.

The United States held now that no union between the two divisions was pos sible because the United States had in corporated Eastern Samoa in the same way as it had incorporated Hawaii; and claimed, further, that the Trusteeship Council of UNO could not concern itself

with a group that had never been a mandate or a trust territory. The result was, that the Samoans, who were essen tially one in history, language and habits, were split under two flags.

“Having in mind the Samoan history of ancient feuds and rivalry it is well that we do plan for a gradual approach to full autonomy for the Samoans,” said Mr. Doidge. “We hope that these rival ries will not be revived, as their revival would hinder their advance to self government. There has been a wide measure of agreement between all the parties concerned —the UNO mission, New Zealand and the Samoans,