SAMOA

Hokitika Guardian, 2 October 1930, Page 5

SAMOA

REMARKABLE PROGRESS.

EX-PRESIDENT’S VIEWS.

AUCKLAND, September 30

j. he remarkable progress made In Samoa struck Miss Jean Begg most forcibly when she paid a return ; visit to the islands after an absence of ten years. She came down that way from Honolulu, where she had been attending the Pan-Pacific Womens Conference. After she finished her studies at Otago University she went to Samoa and was connected with the Samoan Mission School for Girls, in'which work she spent ten years. It was from Samoa that she came to New Zealand, and took up work in the Y.W.C.A. -Miss Begg visited both American Samoa and Western Samoa, over which New Zealand has a mandate, and was naturally interested in comparing what she saw with the Samoa of her day. Speaking this morning, she said the experience was most encouraging. Samoa struck lver as being much more prosperous than it was ten years ago. Asked about the recent trouble, she said that among the Samoans themselves politics did not matter. For instance,’ the centenary of the missionary Jolin Williams, was recently celebrated by. great crowds of Samoans, who went over to the island where he, landed. They all took part in the celebration ceremonies. There was no -question of Man or non-Mau, all fraternising as Samoans. RAPID PROGRESS.

"They have better roads than when I was there, better water supplies for the villages, and better sanitation., The coconut . plantations. look healthier because of the fight put up against the rhinoceros beetle which had been working havoc among the trees. The education of the natives is going ahead by leaps and bounds, and there are other signs df remarkable progress. All these things must of necessity create a situation that must be met.

"With such rapid progress on all sides, the Government must-of necessity make some mistakes. • No Government could be . perfect under changing circumstances, and New. Zealand’s job now is to keep pace with the strides civilisation has, made in the group. Fro niy point of view I think the Administration is coping with the problem remarkably well. 7 "As I see it, the main thing is to keep Samoa out . of New- Zealand poli-> tics. Personally, I would likd to she something on the lines of the organisation of the Colonial Office in London. The Colonial Office officials are trained for work, and there is no question of politics. New Zealand has done remarkably well in Samoa, but we are a young country and I think we might arrange to have some of our officials trained under some such auspices as those of tile Colonial Office, which has been dealing with these problems for generations., Personally, I would like to see some sort of Legislature in Samoa itself, and its affairs removed altogether away from New Zealand politics.”