Salient. An Organ of Student Opinion at Victoria College, Wellington, N.Z. Vol. 8, No. 11. August 8, 1945

"Colonial Problems In S.W. Pacific"—

"Colonial Problems In S.W. Pacific"—

From the chair Dr. Beaglehole introduced Colonel Powles who immediately put his audience at their ease with his bright, conversational manner. Introducing his subject the speaker outlined the history of the "trusteeship" doctrine of administrating dependant territories, or to quote the League of Nations Covenant "the sacred trust of civilisation."

The Canberra Pact and the United Nations Charter, he stressed, both specifically state the word "trust" and it is very significant when 50 of the world's greatest states agree that the interest of the inhabitants is paramount. Colonel Powles then referred to the growing belief that joint mandate of the islands would be better than a single nation entrusted with government.

Education

Continuing, the speaker touched on the separate problems of certain islands. In all these South-west Pacific territories the native population was increasing; Samoa the most, New, Caledonia the least. The common problems of all the islands, despite their cultural and economic differences, are easy to find; health is perhaps the paramount one, although the easiest to solve. Education is a serious problem, in fact the missionaries found it necessary to translate the Bible into 324 dialects. It is surprising when we find that of New Guinea's 2,572 schools, only six are Government schools.

Exploitation

For, says Colonel Powles, if the country is to be made self-supporting, Big Business, with all its bad effects, must move in to develop it. On the other hand, the natives will only become "museum pieces" if we keep on paying out to them for ever. Another side of this question is the labour problem. Whence the labour? Indentured labour was inefficient and was stopped by its originators. There are thus only two ways of solving this problem—either the native work's for himself or as a servant of the white man. Farming (in Fiji) and copra production (in Samoa) have solved themselves in the former way, but the industrial problem remains to be solved. New Caledonia with its silver and nickel industries, is a blot on French colonial rule.

However, concluded the speaker, if, as was promised in the Canberra Pact, a South Seas Advisory Commission is set up, the immediate problems of the next ten years, which are health and education, may be handled with some hope of success. England, New Zealand, and Australia, if' they co-operated, would have control of 90 per cent, of the native population, and that would be an excellent start.

College Personalities

College Personalities

Eric Palmer—M.M.C. Secretary