SOME PLAIN WORDS ABOUT SAMOA

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 608, 9 March 1929, Page 1

SOME PLAIN WORDS ABOUT SAMOA

DEMAND FOR ECONOMY

Sharp Attack on Report

EX-SECRETARY GRAY HITS OUT " r J , HE declaration tiwt Samoa should have balanced its I Budget in the past and must proceed to do so as soon as possible, without assistance from tlve New Zealand Treasury, is not only fantastic, but amounts to a complete repudiation of our sacred trust.” This sweeping condemnation of the recent official report presented to the Government on Samoa is advanced by Mr. •F. D. Gray, ex-Under Secretary for External Affairs, who lias written a long letter to Major-General Sir Georgeßichardson. ex-Administrator of the mandated territory, h roni this letter The Sun is able to give a general outline and some of the outstanding passages. Mr. Gray recently retired from the department.

Mr. Gray, in his letter to Sir George, lashes out uncompromisingly "hen referring to the report by Messrs. Berendeen, Park and Verschaffelt, who recently revealed official laxity in Samoa. If the report is sincere, he says, *t is a new and stark policy; if it is not sincere it is nothing more than a cruel humiliating piece of front window dressing for the purpose of a report. On account of its length the letter neeessarily has been summarised here. Mr. Gray complains at the outset that public comment lias been made in the past upon very superficial knowledge of the situation. This was not really surprising. however, because, sad to relate. his experience in the past had all too plainly shown that Samoa and its affairs bad only been of public in- — * as they had provided dramatic situations, startling headlines and opportunities for political skirmishes. Prior to the recent visit to Samoa °f the Government officers, considerations other than and above those_ of mere finance had influenced frhe New Zealand Government in its administration of Samoa. But now we had f -ome to the parting of the ways and, for the sake of JC.s.d.. drastic reductions in the medical and educational services were recommended. SACRED TRUST BROKEN New Zealand had taken over the f *are of the Samoan people as a part °f the sacred trust of civilisation outlined by the Covenant of the League "f Nations, and while up to the preset Samoa had failed to balance its Budget to the extent of over £212.000. •Vew Guinea, under mandate to Aus"'■•fca. similarly failed to the ex-

tent Of at least £500.000. and the Caroline. Ladrone and Hariane Islands, under mandate to Japan, had failed to the extent of well over £ 2,000,000. Incidentally, the Cook Islands had also failed to the extent of at least £500,000 in the past twentyfive years. In these circumstances, therefore, the declaration that Samoa should have balanced its Budget in the past and must proceed to do so as soon as possible was not only fantastic, but amounted to a complete repudiation of cur “sacred trust.”

ac the Prime Minister had endorsed the report, the fate of those unhappy wards of ours was not now in doubt. In respect to the medical achievements of the Administration. Mr. Gray said tire Dominion had brought the Samoan population from a position where its ultimate survival was doubtful to one where it is (or was) increasing at the rate of 3.000 u year—in a population of under 49,000. Could New Zealand herself equal this? This has been largely achieved by cleaning up the two great scourges, hookworm and yaws both dirt diseases. This had cost money, but the Administraiton had thought the result was worth it. “NONE SO BLIND. . .

•We thought that every halfpenny saved to the race added to the national wealth." he goes on. "but all our friends can see as a result of this financial expenditure are ‘native village supplies.' paved roads, etc.; they cannot see 'anv reflection of it in the national wealth of the territory.’ Truly there are none so blind as those w no will not see. •If this ruthlessness with the medical and education services of the territory prevails, one hesitates to think of what would happen should another epidemic of disease sweep over the Samoan people. ■■Meanwhile. unlimited money seems to be forthcoming without

protest for that disastrous Samoan Military Police Expedition, the dispatch of which, as you and some other high officials of the State know, I fought to the last ditch.” CHINESE LABOUR Referring to Chinese labour, Mr. Cray says that any person with a complete knowledge of the facts can only characterise the comments of the committee as ungenerous and their suggested reforms as both insincere and fraught with gravest danger to the system and the peace of the community. He hints that it is common knowledge that the Chinese labour problem has been one entirely of politics in New Zealand. "We fixed the rates of pay and we abolished indenture and instituted the free-contract system because no Chinese labour would otherwise have been forthcoming. It is beyond my comprehension how any officer who has intelligently followed foreign affairs in recent years . . . could seriously suggest a variation of the conditions of contract to the detriment of j the Chinese labourer/' writes Mr. Gray. He continues that he would not have i abolished the position of Chinese Corn-

fair dealina and righteousness. head of the Chinese secretariat of the j Hong-Kong Government was loaned j to the mandated teritory for a year and succeeded in restoring tranquility among the Chinese there.

“The comments about the Maui Pornare were uncalled for,” continues Mr. Gray, who goes on to say that the vessel's earnings will be handsome. Prior to the acquisition of the vessel the New Zealand Government was paying between £3,000 and £4,000 a year as subsidies (a dead annual loss) for most indifferent and inadequate services. Australia has for years paid £OO,OOO a year to maintain a steamer service with her Island territories.

Mr. Gray deplores the recommendation to eliminate the Norfolk Island run, which is paying handsomely, and to reduce the number of calls in New Zealand, which means cutting out the South Island. Dealing with the Reparation Estates. Mr. Gray writes that “our friends have much to say, and some of their comj ments are far astray from the facts.” He says that the Reparation Estate;Management came through the postwar slump on its own resources, while Australia lost £1,250.000. If the medical and education services go by the board there will be no need to hold tinestates to meet the anticipated land hunger of the future Samoans. “Our policy may not accord with our friends’ ‘pound of flesh’ reparations standard, but at least it stands to cur credit for vision, fair dealing and righteousness.” ! “One finds it difficult to write with ■ restraint about the unfair and ungenerous comments and fault findings of ; the Samoan Public Service—its personnel, staffing and conditions. If ! this were true or justified a large measure of the responsibility would rest with one of our critics because he accepted final responsibility of all officers transferred to the service from New Zealand. By what right does the heed of the New Zealand Public Service. in a report which he knows will excite world-wide interest, express surprise and horror at discovering in

the Samoan service such ‘iniquities’ as ‘hidden emoluments,’ as he calls them . . . when exactly the same ‘iniquities’ exist or have been perpetrated in the service which he controls.”