SAMOA AS IT IS.

Samoa Times and South Sea Advertiser, Volume I, Issue 71, 1 March 1890, Page 3

SAMOA AS IT IS.

TO THE EUITOU. ■* gm-.tjudgfu'f-troni Mr M-—r’slst-j tpr in n*-' uml r •!»« heading. “ Siiiii' l '! t> i* i'.” tho writer must he ft fru-I-r of th* first water. IIi« rsiunrk* on tr.ider* and their business nn> evw«lm*.rly naive. He ,avs : •* The i-areed in value the eaporti. h' live n henvv hnlir.no of trade against tin* i*hi • ’• ” T* , »r this state <>{ ati. lira ho Ida men tho u.fiv. s. and assorts that •• onui|iftiiiui nan at ho found for the miadir-rted .oeriries of our ttft'ivß population ” Would not the solution to tin* nmttor lie rather that soma of thanien-hnnta nml traders, amongst whom “ is tha keen comaisrqial rivalry, which is hit-omiug sharper every your.” siionld stop overimporting largo storks, or alt..pother abandon euch «u uiijunfilable business, and thus annhla the remainder to “ realise ffcir profits u|a»n their investUnhapoy morelian's and trader* who art) art aft keenly competing only to lone, and ignorant Samoans, who do not work aid augment their incomes, in order to diminish the *urplus stock of .the speculator. This tH t‘ to he the real situation as gathered from Hr. H. J. Hour’s letter. The trailers and nr ruhanta in Apia must lie of a very philanthropic nature if they continue business under auvh ififfieulti**, end philantrophy must be contagion*, M their ranks ara aeer cn tho increase. Perhaps those who hare lately engaged in trading, however, are induced to do so not from motive# of condoning (to the general welfare, but rather from the fact that those who have bgon any length of time trading or importing eram to proeper That tha nattVek should he compelled to In order that the trad*/* mi 1lenninm be brought about,se noonsun - nation devoutly to bewmhed for from a trader's paint of view; but tha parshnsing power of the uativo ieeraaslng. weald not that “keen commercial rissthry” .Hon increasa acerbity, and '; -'wbnTkW

nm'itmmhtf, there »uuUb» littk difi calty infehj«theaulhorehlp«poaMie who profmed to bo a aitia»n o* the WWH great freedom-loving MMfclie. But, m*withstauding the irreat admiration I fcel forth* sontiiueuta tkfimmi in this rwftllj reuuukahle effusion, I must still rwrw to my«eff th« right to critlciio is rtj own clumsy wav auythiug expressed therein tint.) in my ; poor judgment, doea m>t moet with my j approval. There is one D»tie>*abU ■ feature ia thi* remarkable production which nnkea it unique in it» way, and | that ia that throughout the uumorou* ! subjects touched upon, tho writer ' rarely eondoscewls to giro hiaopiuion, hut assume* the high poaitiou of per- ' feet kuowUdg - , and assorts »« ine»n> ' tsattttla facta what ordinary individuals i wihiM, in their modesty, pat forward 'is \ •imply their views on the matter. Of ! courao, we do not kit' >v »»lirxt gnat j mm roe of iaformation Mr. Moore may have open to liiin to enatde him to tow* i to such detiuito conclusions, but at prw-nt we must nuppoati it imof the peculiar attribute* otgunius til it enable* the poe .e»*»r to devine tiie truth without living compelled to go I through th" drudgery imposed upon I ordinary intellects. For th«s« reason . I am a little diffident about placing ; what I* simply my opinioti hoforeyour | readers on it subj-o», or -übjeit*, that j have lieen previously diaruamid by stu !i a perfect muster of our political ur..l j moral condition a- 1 Mr. Moors profu*-** j to l»>. Thocteater part of tlii" gontli< '■ mati's letter is taken 'ij> i«y A kit.d ; •if moral lecture to his Wlow-i-itirws. : w io.ii be «vileutly suppose* to bo j living in complete ignorance of the ', higher grades of social mid commercial j morality. No doubt Mr. Moor*, from the lo f tv wxiril s» .'i 1 - point li" ttdinit- j todly orouoie , ■» ' presunio to Irctuie | hie fellow-townsmen oil tho degrading offift of encouraging the personal i and selfish »pito. because, with l;i-* j well- known lovo of f.iir play ami willinguon* to sink his personal ftX'linirs and interests at any time for t!i" public good. In- hiss can ed the to adtuonish th» to adopt a I moral st.iuilar.l. and request theni to j follow him through those paths of ■ j righteo isuomi that he proposes to fol- : . lon in the future. • I

Mr. Moors' opinion of '!:•» present nc iipnut of tin! throne and lii-> a 1 vi -«•■ s is certainly not of u flaMming nature: ' lit T presume it would !>o rqu slly applicable to any nntiv»» ruler ii' he were lo iked at from Mr. M i <rs high ■•ociiil stand-p tint. Ax forth»< political '•r other reasons which induced the tlifee great Powers to select the present king, Maliefoii.T venture to tliink tlitit Mr. Moors is probably a>» ivrnomnt of them as I am mv.-elf. All tliat ! kn»w is this, tin' offUial documents say that Malictun in tho choice of 'ho principal chief* of both ooiitoi'.iliuir |':irtle-». and ulsoof the three groat Powers iut ienleil ; but whether mik b evi>]en< i will outweigh that of such a lii.'h trithori'y m Mr. Moors professed to beiaof course a matter for your readers to decide. One tbint; I am tirtuly e onviiu e' of. and that is that tbu present king, MaiJetiiM, semi - savage though ho be. ha* in th" pn-tmnde personal sacrifices for bin country and his people, the parallel of which look for in ruin from tneu imbued with evuu Mr. Moore liigh-strnn!? uneel3<h principle;,. Mr. Moore utiles that the groat sourca of trouble in Samoa iseommercial rivalry, and that the result of trade competition ia "mutual distrust. general discontent, and un unsociable ■lata of society." This statement goes to show that the only troubles that •list are amongst the traders became* they don't get sufficient profits. Ho doe* not show that this competition had Anything to do with the different civil wars that hare ravaged the couutry for the last twenty years. It has been held as a commercial axiom that " competition ia the life of trade,'' and. if this be so. I fail to see how it could cause trouble amongst the native* ut least—if through competition they are enabled to buy what little goods they wanted cheap,and sell their prol-icost a high price. All that Mr Moors appear* to prove in thia paragraph is, that the traders in Buraoa have not yet reached hit high social or moral standard, or they would not allow these trade differences influence their opinion of, and onndnot towards, each other. Mr. Moors' panacea for all our troubles is, however, the crowning effort of his philosophical lecture, and that if, by making the majority of the people little better than slavso by compelling them to work whether the/ themselves flam 111 ry to do so or not. Asm MfTtltfflTrT"-'-' the world f Ski mmWTtkat there would to theory. toe sjmmtossMaVm *^tosmJß*'s>*"tP*T» >

Ml aU IS^eeSSMWMMMBBSSSSBSSSSajBBM taking fVaia the people lastin pp*aal I liherty of seriea. and mMtf at***! little better tban beauts of tardea.! Enlightened (foverameat* laslntaia the nght to control the pereoaal liberty of tie individual, hut only m a mean* '»« ii.l- the hotter • s.tectiou of the j lives and property of the whole community, .i . i not f'T i'iih teika >»i a few, laajt fcvieVntlf would he m this >u». • Ifr. Moor** aiaaawltKat casapuhawy | work would MUSS aa in< re i*e o| prodoetion, an Inrrasas «»f income to the ; n'ives, and a consequent inrreaa* of . their w.mts ia a fallacious one, if the improvement of th-ir rnndition ia the ul.ject in view. A man's position ia I not mush improved if hi* neceaaitiea ■ incrwtee in proporiion to his income ; | andmr experience ol Samoa js leads bim ! to bolieve that their wants are likely to i innreaae very much faster than their I moans to meet thorn, hence any scheme i that will ten' to oncourage this /Mf.se/eyi taste at the expense of their i;i'd»,ieudence should be discouraged ! by all who visa well to the race. Let liiw and nfl-r he strictly enforced by all means, hut do not let ua introduce t°iO ■ t-emi-hnrbarou* and antiquated system i of co upul*orr labour, especially for the . avowed commercial benefit of those . v. 1.0 came to these islands of their own : fro., will, «i:«l where no one cotnuel* { Mi-'iti to rctauin if the present freedom ..? tii>> natives ■!■»•»» not suit them. Mr. j Mooi'- pl.int.it onoxperience may have . led hiu to believe thst labour under ' th» whip tends to thu tf<»neral benefit !of i)i» community; hut lam afraid he : wiii find very few intelligent «. Movers |in this creed in these islands.—l am, i etc., F.tsEUou.

! WOULD-BE LEGISLATORS. j To THK BDITOR. Sin, —Now that a synopsis of the lierlin Tn.itv has reached us, the i lines therein hii-l down are the all- ] nb«orbins 'oj»ic of conversation. Variousdepreent'>ry comments liave been made by some of our old resii dents on the various clauses. Some ! of these gcuttera*n are only appreti- ; ti-<!8 in the art of legislation, more I especially in the framing of laws which would be suitable tn Samoa. ! Otlmrs are th■• w!*eacrel who are U> ! bo heard declaiming in public their ; *ll|ierior knowledge of the I'eipiire- ' uictits of the country, and their peouliar ability to regulate these [island; ■•u all matters. Th«ir a-<-siimtil siipcrioritv. however, never i reaches, nor «i!l ever reach, out- ; side beer p:i:'|ors. or their own or j their intimate friet:tls liousi-s, coni sequentlv the country is for ever I deprived of reaping the advantage which might otherwise he gaiiieil I from tlie vaunted leuislativo wisdom ! possessed by tiic<e individuals. I Frequently your corresnondeiil has 1 vi«ited the assomhi vof these heaven I , born legislators iu the hope of learn-1 i ing something, but, as a rule, has | j come away no wiser than when he ] I went, except that he is now a con-! finned believer in tho potency of, beer. Highly amusing, indeed, is it to listen to some lately arisen voluble orators, who, by virtue of their extended residents in this country, delude themselves that they are peculiarly fitted to guide the destinies of Saniou. Heaven i protect us that they never are afforded tire opportunity which their ardent so«»ls yearn for The past and present state of affairs in speaks very highly of their humility, or else their great experience and talent has been put to I little use. Perhaps it was that iu Steinberper, Brandeis, ami others they recognised the hall mark of genius and whilst these gentry were rogulating public affairs, and j tho country was iu n transition of j anarchy and dissension, they devoted themselves body and sovl to the accumulation of the almighty .dollar on evory pretext and opportunity from their unfortunate victims, and now, on the strength of j their position as tho Waited capiI talists of Samoa, have all of a sudden j blossomed into tho role of legisla--1 j tors, and consider that they, and '.hey only, are the accumulated wisdom of Samoan. What a pity | it is that these parties did not wake J to tho knowledge of their abilities before the three Powere had to i assart their authority, ami wont to • tha oipanas of a Conference at 1 Bertta, aa I rati sore if only one of thaw, a trifle loairaodast than the reat. had foraakUd hie views, the ; Mm of Bassos ootUd havo bean lAlkaithoaedaytothosaUssWtfan af aoarybady *• asweV, ,3j» at immfk on. of those ;;Sl*rtl^^«SoV& WeVP^safw^s^^^^P^^^^W . Y it -

■at*ve* should be more industrious. Mi cultivate their land*. Why doe* not this gentleman, who is the owner of several pieces of land in Sauna, show an example f' Doe* j he want native* to pave the way for him, ao that he may theu come forward, and, by hie mure expert- ! eueeii knowledge, make capital out ol it ? At all time* deeds speak louder than word*—l am, etc.. New Chum.