SAMOA

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 263, 31 July 1920, Page 8

SAMOA

INDENTURED LABOUR PROBLEM 1 MR. HOLLAND'S AMENDMENT i- The debate on the affairs of Samoa and - other Pacitic islands was resumed in tku li House of ReDresentatives.yesterda.v after- }'■ noon. y , M f; T - ?• Sidev (Dunedin South) urgo ed that the natives of the islands nt--0 taehed to New Zealand should be made 1 acquainted with the English language. f Knowledge of this language would oo j- an important civilising influence.' It \i>s '■ similarly important that teachers and B other officials should learn the native : language. Mr. Sidey said he had spoken ' against indentured labour at the general election. Since then lie had visited Su- . moa, and he agreed that the supply of ._ I'olyncsian labour was inadequate' to • work the plantation and that white la- ,. hour could not bo used. New Zealand e had a responsibility to see that tho is- ,_ lands gave to the world tho produce that jj it needed. But tho issue could not bo g decided merely on material .cousidera- ]. tloiis. Was Won'Zbalitinl ijri-iAied'ioiin-t troduee a Mongol population into the B .Pacific Islands and to expose the native f Sanioans to the dangers of association . with UiinDsef He suggested (lie sub- . stitution of Hindu labour for Chinese. . Imported workers should bring their own ~ wives. Mr. H. E. Holland (Buller) moved an - amendment that tho House should ret cord its opposition to the continuance of - indentured labour in Samoa. Discuss- - mg the question generally iir. Hollmd - had something to say about tho absence I from the official report of the Parhu--3 mentary party of any investigation of Sa- - moan opinion about the bringing in of > indentured labourers. The chiefs had i not raised the question, and rhtro lutd > been no opportunity afforded to Labour • members of making official inquiries of • tho ohiefs. So the .Labour incmix-rsniado ■ their inquiries unofficially. They had ■ not been able to find a single Samoan who was in favour of the system of im- ■ porting Chinese coolies. He had cvi- ; (fence also 'that the Samoans would wors if paid proper wages. But the Samoan would not work under coolio conditions ; tor coolio wages. He spoko a good deal i about the conditions unaer which Chin- , ose wore housed, and under which they lived and worked. He stated as his chief objection to the indentured labour system tho dangers that it offered of immoral relations between Chinese and natives. Tho only proper solution of tho problems of 'Samoa would bo to give tho Snmoans opportunity to ©onlroi their own country, to give the Samoans self-deter-mination under the Leame of Nations or under a British Protectorate. "A Miniaturo Ireland." Mr. B. J. Howard (Christchurch South) seconded the amendment. He predicted that in taking over Samoa New Zealand would be found to have taken over a '■ miniature Ireland. Tho indentured labour system was full of seeds of disaster. What would have happened to New Zealand if tho early settlers had tried to develop it in a hurry with indentured Chinese labour? Sugar could be produced in New Zealand with cheap coloured labour. Would any member of tho House advocate such a scheme? Indentured labour in Samoa would mean quick development and quick profits., but New Zealand should take a long view and consider what the ultimata result would bo. Afr. Howard- denied that tho Samoans would not work. They merely refused to work for other peopl'o on wages. Tonga had tho form of government that would suit Samoa. Mr. L. M. Isitt (Christchurch North) said the real fact was that tho astute Labour extremists had seen in tho in dentured labour problem a useful poli' ticnl weapon. They had need that weapon cunningly, and had managed to mislead a certain number of people They had pretended to an intense sympathy for "tho poor enslaved .Chinamen" and for tho Samoan people. All this ivas mere camouflage. Tho extreme Labour Party declared that it would rather see the industries of Samoa wrecked than haw one Sainoan woman injured morally; but it did not propose to suppress, tho liquor traffic, which wreck ed womanhood in New Zealand. Tho Labour extremists were not really eoncerneu about the Chinese or the Somoans at all. and they hud made a despicable use of inaccurate statements about Samoa for political purposes. Mr. Isitt insisted that au overwhelming mass of evidence proved thai; tho use of imported labour was essential in the interests of (he Samoans themselves as well ns of tho planters. If New Zealand failed to maintain « supply of labour, the coconut groves would go t<> ruin and the natives would starve. No member of the House could suggest any reasonable alternative to the arrangement that the Government had made iu Samoa, and no member could deny that if New Zealand J«d refused the Samoan mandate it would h'nvo gone to a foreign nation. The debate was continued by oilier members. At 11.15 p.m. the' Prime Minister said he understood that many members wished still to speak. Ho ' suggested that tho division on Mr. Holland's motion should bo taken at once and that the debate should (hen be mljourned. He would give an opportunity ' for its completion after the financial de- ' bate. Opposition and Labour members ( objected to this arrangement and the ' debate proceeded. I Mr. V. H. Potter (Roskill) mid that ] the men who misrepresented Labour in ' tho House took up the attitude that j their own country was always wrong * anil other countries were always right. A He asserted that the Chinese coolies in \ Samoa were not the downtrodden slaves i depicted by Labour extremists. They ] were contended and fairly prosperous men. ' '

Why New Zealand Took the Mandate. Mr. P. Eraser (Wellington Central) said something about immorality scan(Tifij in the Chinese' cantonments in» SSiith Africa. He asked in effect wjietaer the Government would tolerato like practices in Samoa, for he assumedlhajLin like circumstances liko effects would bo produced. The Prime Minister (Mr. Massoy) rose to reply. Ho expressed horror and disgust with the suggestion, contained in the question, that the Government would tolerate such dirty immoral practices. He hoped there would bo less of these suggestions,, which were no credit to Parliament and humiliating to every member of Parliament. Mr. Massey proceeded then to speak of Samoa, the group of islands which had been a, bone of contention for 50 yearn. Tl«L.Germans hail established themselves well in tlio group, but their interests fiad been confedJitrd. n»<l (lie ;i---oi.s wcro prdbably all that New Zealand would gel by way of indemnity from Germany. Now Zealand should therefore make the most of it. The stratcsie i importance of Samoa was realised bv the | tfcruians, and they bad made good use ot'Samoa as a base of operations. Those things were, forgotten now, but in the early days of the war, when the German cruisers sank the British squadron sent out to destroy the Germans, the failure cost tho loss of 1(100 lives of British seamen. This should help us to remember that it was important to frep enomies out of the Pacific. Mr. Massey reminded the House that successive statesmen of New Zealand had recognised tho importance of Samoa to this country, and had urged that it should bo taken over. Ho himself had not been anxious lo accept responsibility for Samoa. Ho had placed on record a! the lime of the Peace Conference his wish that, Britain would acenpt the mandate. Bill if New Zealand had refused the mandate, a foreign Power would have accepted it. The House had beon told that tho Samoans should be left to work out their own destiny. That was not possible. If tlio British Empire loft Samoa another Power would s'.ep in. The. responsibility would not be declined. Tho use of tho indonturcd labour was absolutely neeesfnrv. Ho did not like -the sv.«-lem, and wished to get nwny from it n.s- soon as possible. But it was not the obire'innable system dopicted by some 'people. He hoped that within a few years it would bo possible to work (ho plantations with free labour. In the meantime :he porioii of indenture had been reduced to n<o yc;,js, and permission hnd boon obtained fiom the Chinese Govern, meat for iviv« k ooconipony tho labour*

ors. He b?J:('TC-' that ono hundred women wuro now on tbeir way to Samoa. Mr. Mn.-sey mentioned that tho Sanioatu wero blood-kin to tho Maoris. • New Zealand would not rofuso to recognise its interest in the affairs of the South Pacific Islands; and ho hoped that the difficulties would bo discussed without any attempt to crca'.e prejudice or distort facts. The Asiatic Menace. Mr. T. M. Wilford (Hutt) said that ho would vote always against the admission of Chinese or Japanese to any of ] the Pacific Islands, on grounds of national safely. "Ho believed that the prediction made in the United States Senate that tho next war would find Japan, China, Russia, and Germany allied •Against tho rest of tho world was a prediction that Now Zealand could not afford to disregard. If he had bad his way, every Chinaman would bo turned out of New Zealand, and no Chinaman or' Japanese would be admitted to any island under British control. Hawaii had become a Japanese colony. Tho Philippines could bo taken by Japan at uny time. Tho Japaneso had a footing in California, and could not bo turned cnt. The menace was plain to see. "POLITICAL INFLUENCE" AN UNFOUNDED SUGGESTION A suggestion of political influence in connection with the disposal of some land Jiear Rotorua, to returned soldiers Iproughi an emphatio reply from tho Minister of Lands (Mr. Guthrie) in tho House.of Representatives. Two returned soldiers had been given sections without ballot, and the Auckland Returned Soldiers' Association, in a letter read by Mr. Poland (Ohinemuri), protested and made a reference to "political in.-. lluence." Mr. Guthrie said he resented tho suggestion. Political influence had not been used in any shape or farm in the administration of the settlement scheme. The soldiers had received an absolutely fair deal The two soldiers mentioned liatt been placed on sections without ballot because tho land was difficult and required special treatment. The two men had experience in dealing with. eu<* land', and the Land Board decided that they 6hould receive sections iu order that their knowledgo might bo at tho diEposal of the other soldier settlers on the block. The decision of the board, said the Minister, had been absolutely sound, and ho did not believe that the protest represented Hie opinion of returned soldiers generally. The arrangement had been open and above board. Mr. Parry asked whether the Minister wished it to bo understood that he was wl willing to accept the statement of Mr. Andrews, the secretary of the Auckland Returned Soldiers' Association, as that of the accredited representative of the returned soldiers of Auckland? Mr. Gnthrio eaid that lie did Tccogniso that Mr. Andrews 'had been appointed secretary, of the Auckland Returned Soldiers' Association, but he understood that although tho association had a membership of some twelve thousand, Mr. Andrews was supported by somo SOD members. Mr. Potter: That is about the average attendance at a meeting. Mr. Guthrie repeated bis former statement that nothing had been done by tho Lands Department that could not bear the full light of (lay. MOULDY MEAT TOO LONG IN STORE. The rejection of somo meat presented for sliipment by the steamer City of Winchester at Wellington was mentioned in the H'ouso of Representatives by Mr. P. Fraser (Wellington Central). The meat, said Mr. Eraser, had been so bad that the workers had objected to handline it. Tho Prime Minister said that some moat sent down to tho wharves, from a Wairarapa freezing works had been so long in storo that it was mouldy. Directly the attention of the Department of t Imperial Supplios was called to the fact, i the meat was ordered to be sent back. ; Carcasses fit for canning would be canned, and the rest would J» boiled down. Ca.ro wns taken to see that no meat was i sent abroad unless it was perfectly sound. All the mouldy meat had been sent back ' to Ihe works. ' TOTALISATOR PERMITS ' The Gaming Amendment Bill No. 2, ' introduced by Mr. Hunter (Waipawa), provides for the issue of 38 additional ] permits. The numlxsr mentioned origin- : [>llv was 58. The 38 permits are to be ' distributed as follow: Trotting clubs, ' 20;'country clubs. 10: hunt clubs, 8. M