POLYNESIA

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 99, 17 December 1931, Page 2

POLYNESIA

INTERESTING IMPRESSIONS OF AMERICAN JOURNALIST TOUR OF ISLANDS After spending several months at Samoa, Tahiti, Rarotonga and several others of the South Pacific Islands, Mr. M. Greene, correspondent for the "Christian Science Monitor," the Baltimore "Sun," the New York "Sun," and other -leading newspapers in America, arrived on a visit to New Zealand by the Monowai yesterday. In an interview, Mr. Greene told "The Dominion" that it would be a good thing for' Tahiti if more New Zealanders went there. The island at present was being spoiled to a great extent by a great many "undesirables,'" mainly from America, who had left their own country because of the bad conditions prevailing there. Speaking of Samoa, he said the Administrator, Brigadier-General Hairt, was doing a great deal of valuable work; he was keeping away from the political side as much as possible, and if he were given a free hand probably he would do a great deal toward reconciling the' present difficult situa"tiom. ' Well Administered The Cook Islands were heing very capably administered l>y Judge Ayson, who handled the people there very tactfully- — so suceessfully that the Cook -Islands stood as an example to the other South Pacific Islands. "The Polynesians should be treated in the same way as the Europeans," Mr. Greene said. "They are a very simple people, not advanced a great deal, intellectually, but they have very fine characteristics. The white man had not assisted them greatly, and allowanee should be made for that, but I am convinced that it is a great mistake to adopt a militaristic attitude with the Polynesiahs." Some years ago Mr. Greene did a good deal of newspaper work in Manchuria, and, ref erring to the Manchurian troubles yesterday, he said that there was a good deal to be said for the Japanese attitude. There was a great deal of banditry in China, largely due to the fact that the people in the barren districts were almost on the verge of starvation, and of course the bandits were easy game for Bolsheviks and Bolshevik principles. What Japan feared was that the Nanlcing Government had some understanding with Kussia, and it had good xeason to fear that was the position. Mr. Greene said he thought the League of Nations had been ill advised to take China's side in the dispute, as apparently it had done so at first; now, however, it seemed to have changed its attitude.