THE SAMOAM LABOUR PROBLEM

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 51, 24 November 1919, Page 7

THE SAMOAM LABOUR PROBLEM

TO SAVE THE PLANTATIONS

WHY WORKERS ARE NEEDE

The following official statement has been issued:—Labour leaders and Labour candidates aro grossly misrepresenting the Government in tho election campaign with rosnect to the use of indentured labour in Samoa. The word "indentured, has been flagrantly misused to inemunte. that the Government of, this country has countenanced a form of "slavery." It is very obvious that' the word "indentured" is being used as an electioneering bogey. ■ The plain facts of the caso show that this ruse of the Labour Party ie utterly contvojry to truth. After all, what in effect is indentured labour as it applies to Samoa? It is merely a form of contract, tho samo, for instance, as any apprentice enters iu-o when learning n trade. It is notorious that throughout the war Deriod the activities of the extreme Socialist Party which now, under the cuise of tho New Zealand Labour Party, is out to capture-political control of the Dominion were chiefly devoted to impedintr and thwarting our war efforts. It is but a natural sequence to this policy that its members should in our hour of victory endeavour to prevent New Zealand from reaping any benefit from its tremendous war sacrifices. Apparently they regard the bogey of "indentured labour" as the readiest means to this end. for they are now engaged on a campaign of misrepresentation aim , untruths witli resDect to it, in the hope, no doubt, that public opinion will bo so shocked end repelled by the lurid pictures they coniure up about the horrors of serfdom, slavery, etc., that the Samoan Administration will be denied the only means by which the group can bo made to develop and prosper. The most frequent, form of this misrepresentation is tho suggestion that .the New Zealand Government introducea' indentured labour into Samoa after the group had been captured bv tho Now Zealand Expditionionarv Force, and that its introduction in Samoa ia merely to pave the way for ftoodinic the industrial life of this Dominion with cheap Asiatic labour. The Labour leaders who make this statement do not need to be enlightened as to its falsity, but there, is a real need that the general boo/y of electors should bo aware of tho actual position, so that they may not be misled by the gross misrepresentation of these disloyalists. There are two principal points which tho Government desires to emphasise:— (a.) That when the occupying force took Samoa there, were about 3000 (Chinese and Kanaka indentured labourers at work on the planttaions there, and that at tho present time there r.re less than 1000 of these labourers : and (bl That tlie electors of New Zealand must clearly understand that, for at least a generation to come, find until the Samoans can' themselves be' educated up to the necessity to work, a reasonable supply of imported labour is an absolute ea- . sential for the maintenance and proDer development of tho plantations.

As to (a), a significant fact to l-e noted is that practically the whole- of the indentured labourers now at Samoa are tinj.e-exDired coolies, who have voluntarily agreed to reiudenture themselves for ft further period of two years. The original indentures run out during the last ;vear of war, when it was very difficult to 6ecuro transport for the repatriation of the coolies, and with tho consent of the British and Chinese Imperial authorities they were given the option of reinaenturing /for a period sufficient to r.Ure a i-cturn to normal times. The fact thit the vast majority of the labourers readily availed themselves of the opportunity to reindenture at once disposes of the fairy tales -about "sla-vo traffic," ''atrocities." "inhumanities," and eo on ad nauseam. As a, matter of fact, the most complete precautions are taken to promote the well-being and to protect the interests of the indentured labourers. Very stringent regulations are in force providing for efficient sanitation, proper accommodation with sufficient air space, nmplo food which must be un to ft stipulated standard, medical attention, and repatriation at the end of three years. In addition, when the men werefirst obtained it was stipulated by thfc Chinese Government, and it was agreed to by the German Government, and has eiuce been faithfully observed by the British authorities, that the Chinese indentured labourer should stand, for tho purposes of all criminal or other matters that might be brought against him, on exactly tho same footing as a European. It has to be remembered, too, that theso labourers havo full access to their own , Consul, who has been specially stationed at Apia by the Chinese Government to look after their welfare, and that the Samoan Administration has an officer, known aa the Chinese Commissioner, whose particular function it is to stand between tho planters and tho indentured labourers in the samo way as an inspector of factories does in' New Zealand between employer and worker. Now, as to (b), the Government can assure the public of New Zealand that it is just as sincere in its desire to develop Samoa without the aid of any imported labour as otp those Labour leaders, but it knows, as these leadera and as all who havo studied tho problem know, that under present conditions this Is quite impossible. Tho Government knows this because- the military administration, after taking control of the group, was quite a verso to the continuance of imported labour at Samoa and made a genuine attempt to train the Samoan natives to do all the work themselves. •The Administration has had to admit, after an experience of .over four years, that this endeavour has been a failure. The Government will discontinue the system just as soon as the Samoan natives cnn. by educative methods, be brought to understand that it is to their own interests to themselves provide this labour. Tho Government, desires to impress on every elector the fact that German Samoa represents New Zealand's share of the fruits of victory. The Dominion under the mandate will take over enemy property worth at tho present limo at least .£1,000,000. and this sum will in duo course be credited to Now Zealand as part of its sharo of the reparation money, payable by Germany. But these properties at Samoa only possess this preBont and any increased prospective value if a reasonable supply of imported labour ia available for their maintenance and proper development. That fact is beyond dispute, no matter what theso Labour extremists and "disloyalists may

allege- to tho contrary. Even as recently as July last a high authority, after a personal inspection of tho cocoa and

rubber plantations, stated: "If labour is at once procurable the damage, cannot well be repaired for five years. If it is not procurable the cocoa plantations will be permanently ruined." Unfortunately the general public of the Dominion does not appreciate tho enormous present and potential resources of these most fertile islands ami does not realise what (Treat opnortunities they will afford for New Zealand settlers, traders and industrialists. CopTa. rubber, cocoa, coffee, kapok, in fact, all tropical products can bo grown to perfection. But all development is contingent absolutely and without question on <an adequate supply of labour At the moment and for some time to como this labour will not l>e available from the native Samoans. They vill have to n« educated up to the necessity to work. That education will be undertaken, but in tne meantime tha necessary workers must bo imported. Whito men can diTect, control and supervise, but they cannot do agricultural work in the fields, ns this brings their bodies into direct contort with the "nil nnd Inds inevitably to tropical ailments. Any nf the 2000 New Zealand soldiers ,wh'o have served in Samoa will satisfy any elector on this point. Work in the fields must be done by coloured labour, nnd the Chinees- are in every way tho most suitable for the purpose. Assuming that the coolies are agreeable, what possible objection can there be to contract workers being introduced so lon<r as the interests and well-heim.' of all concerned are properly protected? Jtowever, the issue before the "lectors frith resnent to Samoa is a simple one. JB flio Dominion to retain control of MlßSfl Islands, which are so vitally imjsertant to us both from an economic ©id a strategic point of view? If it is, A reasonable supply of indentured imgorted lakrar must for tie present be

flij.'ijnittod iuto Samoa. It is not n queaiion of permitting the group and its people to revert to a elate of nature. The need for raw products is now so great and insistent that tbo civilised nations of the world ennnot permit el intensely fertile country to remain in its natural undeveloped state, much less to revert from a highly productive stage to nature again. It is beyond dispute that, if the Dominion of New Zealand is not willing to maintain and fully develop the plantations and resources of Samoa, and this can only bo done meaiitimo by a reasonable eupply of imported contract labour, it must be prepared to return the mandate to■ the League of Nations in order that some other State may -undertake the duty, This may not distress the socalled Lahqur lender's and may indeed be welcome to them, but is it an alternative which tho loyal men ami -women of New Zealand to whom tho war . sacrifices have been very real are willing- to lightly accept?