PARLIAMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 October 1919, Page 6

PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. THE SAMOAN MANDATE. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Oct. 16. The House went into Committee. Mr. Holland moved an amendment intended to prohibit the employment of indentured labor in Samoa. The Minister asked the House not to accept the amendment. There was nothing in the Bill about labor, and the amendment was foreign to it. Sir Joseph Ward said he wajild lika to help the Minister with the Bill, but he was not going to vote for any proposal to bring Chinese indentured labor into the British Dominions. He suggested holding the whole matter over till the Order-in-Council was circulated < and then they would see how far they could go. Mr. Massey suggested that the House should pass the Bill, and would give an undertaking that the whole matter should come up for consideration next session. By that time we would have had more experience, and then he hoped we should be able to do without indentured labor in Samoa altogether. Sir James Allen said that if the amendment were carried the present indentured Chinese labor in Samoa would have to be repatriated, and that would mean the plantations would have to be abandoned, because they could not be carried on. It would be humiliating if we had to refuse the mandate, but we would have to refuse' it if the amendment were carried. JDr. Pomare said there was no danger labor. The Chinese Government looked after their own people; they had their own Consuls and staff for that purpose. Unless indentured labor was employed, the Samoan trade would be ruined. As white men would not go to work there it was a question of black men or yellow. . Mr. Massey made an appeal to the House to pass the Bill and accept the mandate, otherwise there would be the greatest danger of Samoa passing into the hands of a foreign power. That was a responsibility we should not take, for the sake of posterity. He would undertake that the number of indentured laborers would not be increased above one thousand, which was the smallest number they could do with. Sir Jas. Allen further promised that the Bill would expire two months after the close of next session, by which time the whole matter could be discussed by the new Parliament. These suggestions were not accepted by. the Labor Party, who called for a division on Mr. Holland amendment. /