Plea For Landless
pp. 69-71 · Read in the full issue
Reply To
R. A. M. Gurau
Plea For Landless Samoans
Letter to the Editor rHEN Mr. A. M. Gurau, MLA, in the PIM of December, said that the “irresponsible re rks" of the editor of the local let in were not supported by the (ority of people here, he was presenting the facts. The great (ority of the people here, of all ises except a privileged few, do it considerable reforms, jcially in relation to land, fhen Mr. Gurau was elected to Assembly, it was realised by European electors that while he no Benjamin Disraeli he was east long enough in the Terri - ’to know its problems. They jcted a sincere attempt to rtain the views of his con sents and represent them to best of his ability, it he attached himself to the toan chiefs who were striving ?et control of the affairs of Territory and its people. Not i during his two terms of e has he sought to ascertain liar views by calling a public ting. r. Gurau is connected by riage with one of the most linent matais on the Legislative mbly, and it is possible this aonship clouds his views, be he hopes that his group of ical chiefs will get control of oa and its people, doubt if this will come off out radical changes which will some protection to the •pean minority. The claim of tiny group to dominate the e of Samoa and deny the vast trity of the Samoan people any ical or economic rights is osterous —we are already past middle of the twentieth iry. ucation now is wide-spread, e are two secondary schools two more under consideration, addition to the scholarship snts who have been sent to )ls in New Zealand. Some of ' students have already won Jes in NZ universities; others on their way to similar ivement. e can imagine the explosive tion if these students come and find they are second-class ns unfit to exercise a vote or iave any economic rights in own homeland. . Gurau’s “disgruntled peans” actually are those e who are trying to get the *use for the taulelea (untitled >an). They are also trying to
get security of tenure for these people on the land.
It happens only too often that an untitled Samoan, after years of hard work on a piece of land, building up a cocoa plantation, finds, as soon as it comes into bearing and is a profitable asset, that he is summarily ordered off the land by a Matai who wishes to give it to one of his own relations.
MR. GURAU’S “disgruntled Europeans” are trying to get these people some kind of security of tenure and I am now glad to say that plans have been made under which some of the land, which is not the so-called customary or family land, will be leased to untitled Samoans under very reasonable terms, with full security of tenure.
All these facts can easily be ascertained by referring to the files of the Bulletin.
We hope and expect the Euro pean election will take place in April. Any doubts you may have as to how the European electors will view Mr. Gurau and his action will then be set at rest, providing he again offers himself as a candidate.
For the past twelve months or so not one issue of the Bulletin has appeared which has not had from two to four letters from Samoans, matais, faifeaus (pastors) and taulelea (untitled persons) in which they express their dissatisfaction at what is being said and done in their name by the political chiefs, supported by Mr. Gurau and his friends.
Mr. Gurau’s “disgruntled
iropeans” are only asking for a iiare deal for the unfortunate ilelea, and that the expressed 5h of the Trustee Council be t into effect. That is, that a ibiscite be held to enable the ole of the Samoan people to side their own destiny, and not ire it decided for them by a y group of political chiefs. So , the chiefs have resisted this thod of enquiry because they jw only too well what the diet of the Samoan people jld be.
I am, etc.,
Tululele.
stern Samoa. [r. R. Davies and Mr. M. A. irews, both of the Western ific High Commission, have, in ct. switched jobs. Mr. Davies go from Honiara, BSIP, to Tarawa, & E Islands Colony; and Mr.
Irew going from Tarawa to liara. r. A. P. Peebles, who has had iral tours of duty with the HC in the New Hebrides and Solomons, left Honiara in Feb •y for the United Kingdom. On pletion of his leave he will be isferred to Tanganyika. Mr. J. well also has left Honiara and after completion of UK leave, ransferred to Tanganyika.