NZ’s Samoan Administration Gets

Official Approval and Much Advice

AT the end of March, the Trusteeship Council of the United Nations Or ganisation officially approved the annual report by New Zealand in respect of Western Samoa. The Council, how ever, made a number of what were called recommendations.

One of the wishes expressed was that Western Samoa should have, at the earliest moment, a system of universal suffrage in order that the Legislative Assembly may be as representative as possible. Another desire was that the administering authority (NZ), should encourage further thte development of their own culture among the Samoans.

Delegates to the Trusteeship Council apparently are not aware that there is nothing in Samoan culture to support universal suffrage. This is not due to any restrictive measure on New Zealand’s part but because the Western Samoans themselves prefer their own traditional methods of selecting their leaders.

Other recommendations are that New Zealand take all possible steps to protect the Territory against a fall in prices of primary production by introducing secondary industries, that the Dominion intensify efforts towards developing the Territory’s natural resources so as to “raise the standard of living of its poorer inhabitants” and to elaborate an overall plan for the economic de velopment of the Territory. It is also suggested that NZ should not let up in its efforts to provide improved social service, educational and health benefits.

Finally, the Trusteeship Council appears

cheered to know that "an inquiry “re garding the existing preferential treat ment of 11 per cent, in favour of British goods is under way.”

IN short, the “approval” of the Council is just a babble of words, issued ap parently with the express purpose of trying to justify the existence of a team of delegates who know less about con ditions in Western Samoa than does the man in the moon.

It is hard to imagine the officials in Wellington, whose concern Western

Samoa is, suddenly whipped into action by the stratospheric idealisms of those precious gentlemen at Lake Success.

ABOUT the same time that the mani festo on Western Samoa was issued by the Trusteeship Council, Colonel McCormick’s “Chicago Tribune” borrowed a number of Russia’s well-worn methods of hurling abuse at what they are pleased to call “imperialistic powers,” and attacked New Zealand’s rule in Western Samoa.

In an editorial the “Tribune”, on March 25, contrasts conditions in West ern Samoa with those ruling in the neighbouring American territory of Eastern Samoa—to the disadvantage of New Zealand’s Territory.

Eastern Samoa, the “Tribune” states, voluntarily placed itself under American

rule; New Zealand, on the other hand, seized Western Samoa from the Germans.

The editorial goes on: “American Samoa is run for the Samoans. They own the land, pay no income taxes and most of the expenses are borne by the United States. Western Samoa presents a fairly typical example of colonial exploitation under the British Empire.

When they seized the islands the New Zealanders also seized the best agricultural estates, which had been held by Germans. These properties are now operated for profit of the New Zealand Government on the claim that the seizure represented reparations for the New Zealanders’ war costs. The reparations, of course, are actually collected from the Samoans, who were innocent bystanders in the war. ' “New Zealanders also have a State monopoly of the marketing of copra.

This is sold at only a half to one-third of the prices realised by their kinsmen in American Samoa. Although Western Samoans pay taxes they get less in the way of roads, schools and hospitals than the Eastern Samoans receive, largely free, from the American Government.

“Western Samoans should be freed from this economic slavery. If the United Nations were an honest organisation it would tell New Zealanders to get out.

Unfortunately the United Nations was formed for the very purpose of protecting such robbery as New Zealand is perpetrating.”

Colonel McCormick’s anti-British views are now so exaggerated as to have become merely ridiculous. The opinions expressed in this present article on Western Samoa are uninformed, ignorant nonsense, not worthy of the trouble of contradiction.