INDENTURED LABOUR

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 20, 18 October 1919, Page 10

INDENTURED LABOUR

ESSENTIAL IN SAMOA

INTENTIONS OF THE GOVERNMENT r WAie'-you going to. prohibit indentured '.' labour! This question, asked of tho . Minister when'he was moving : v reading of the Bill which is " intended to' mako pj-ovisoin for tho f 11government of Samoa,,gave rise to a little spirited discussion of tho question .. generally. Sir James Allen replied to the question by, saying that tho New Zealand Government did not propose to prohibit . the use 'of indenbi.red labour in Samoa, because it'.would be quite impossible to ... 'rely on the labour of "the Samoan people . for tho development of Samoa. «-:.:, Mr.. Holland: .Slavery! : -, Sir James Allen: What? /'-Holland: indentured.,-labour is * slavery.' ; 1 Sir James Allen: I hope no honour- ./ able member will seriously talk about . .slavery in this, connection. We are prof 'Hbited from that by. the mandate it- ] : .'self, and. we should not be allowed to indenture -labour if thcre'-'wns, to be any :,-; (suggestion of 'slavery-about, it. Those 'who think that this coimfcry can be run •' (without labour fijorn outside are looking ' /at a shadow.. The Samoan natives will not .-labour in Samoa except to provide ; 'fodd'which they Tequire to live. upon. : f ; and this they can provide very .'easily. .Tf the country is to be developed some provision. has to be made to-secure labour from outside. We have to accept, n>Isponsibility for these islands going back ■ Jto naturej ; or 'something worse than na- (' .ture, or we have.to.let labour come in •• (from outside.

Sir' Joseph WaTd jaid that the labour •'■Vjiguestion-in Samoa was a very difficult ( Vone.. Outside labour was a necessity in ithe island, and they must make un. their minds and calmly and deliberately face ' legislation for the on of d'e- . lyelopment-ivork in these -tropic.il islands. Mr. Bern pie: Do you f.tantf for slave - ilabour? ' , ' Sir: Joseph Ward: I.am makincr this '''. jßpeech myself. ; you ninst'not think that', '. ibecaiise jou are a member of Parlii,ment that gives you the right to rudely ~ (interrupt me.' When' , you speak I don't inteijupt you. You can do that sort of ' thing on the soap box outside, but you -vi can't- ; ;do it.-hore.' v - ' - ' Mr.' Holland: Don't.be offensive. Mr. Seraple:' We want to know where jou stand. : Sir Joseph Ward: I know where you "won't stand very soon. -Mr. Semple: Wait till the numbers go •np '■ i t .Sir-Joseph Ward, returning to, hi' sub;.;jeot, said that it would be impossible for ' Samoa to bo productive if thero were ap.jplied to that tropical country tho laws . " -Sof. this country. This was beyond nues- • 'tioa among thoso, who knew something "f, of the Ranioan -group. •. , Mr. Holland said he regretted that the ; -Government'was proposing to use in--'iidentured-labour, in Samoa;'- The system ; ■ . recalled-the records of indentured labour.

; i; un .otW' Jfinds. ■ ■ *Tho. Labour Party in ithe House, would fielit against indentured labour, ' and. the Laliour Part}' outside - the House would support them." ■.! Prime\ Minister, later in the tie-' i .Bate, said that a good (leal had been said about, indentured labour, nntl the House had been, told that indentured labour .. yras slavery. • Indentured labour might . be slavery, but.it had never been slavery In a British country or under the British ... Tlag. What was indentured- labour . after all? The term meant merelv that 'certain men, generally ■ of one of the V '.ivc? employed to work • .• for certain periods at .certain .mutes. The was for a'year or two years, ■ or three years, and there was always a -that at.the tod of the period ;i:the workew,were to-be returned to tliry , -place-.where they liid been engaged. The . ■ Germans 'had employed indentured Cliinese laDonr at' Samoa; and many of the . j workers were still in the island. Their / : terms had . expired long, ago, and if the ' '.Germans: had 1 remained"at Samoa' the / labourers probably would 'have returned home.- But under .British rule the men v- had asked.that their terms should be ex- ; .'They were being paid better, . ■-jbetteri-aiicl made.more comfortable than ever in 'their lives beford and he "Wieve-l.tli'it many cf them would never leave-Samoa, s

; ; If the,climate of Samoa wero.temperate there would he no thought of indentured labour. But Samoa, was not a.'white ~,mans country. It was a healthy country and-white men'could live there,'hut •, they could not do hard physical work. ii' were t<) be 1 kept in cultivation coloured labour must be em- : ployed. The was to let. the ; lajid go out of cultivation and revert to .'The necessary 1 labour might be , ' cot from the West Indies. That'had ; .-- peen. ; suggested at .the time the British ,- took, possession. The coloured .workers • in any case lia<l perfect freedom. ' There .-was rip traco of slavery about tho sys- " iem. -■. ' , ■ ■

Mr. Fraser: Why not have free labour; V coloured or. otherwise?- »

Mr. Ifassey: Exaetly. - I have not the slightest doubt that when the natives toderstand. tho- position they will go to Samoa -without indentures. I'believe •it will he-possible to do Away with the Menhiring system. But we have not arrived at that stage..