INDENTURED LABOUR

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 98, 19 January 1921, Page 7

INDENTURED LABOUR

THE POSITION IN SAMOA. Arrangements were made last year for the shipment of an additional 500 indentured Chinese labourers to Western Samoa, to replace Chinese who had been repatriated. The new labourers reached Samoa and relieved to some extent the shortage of labour that had been threatening to cause the deterioration of valuable property in Samoa Moro labour is required, but the New Zealand Government is not at present engaging additional coolies. Many of the Chinese who were on the island when it was taken over from .the Germans accepted reindenture for a period of two years after tho armistice. These re-indentures will expire ihiy year, and the men are to be returned to China. Arrangements will be made for the engagement of flesh labour to take their places. One of the suggestions that has been made for the improvement of the conditions of the indentured labour in Samoa Is that the Chinese should Lo encouraged to bring their wives with them. This arrangement would decrease the danger of the intermingling of the Chinese and the 'Samoans. An unexpected difficulty in 4ho wuy of any such arrangement is the refusal of the Chinese women to go to Samoa, except as indentured labourers, receiving the same wages as the men. The women are accustomed to working with their menfolk, mid they are not prepared to bo mere dependants on their husbands in Samoa. The Samoan authorities, ou the other Land, have not been prepared to accept women labourers' for the plantations.