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difficulty. In seeking a solution the Government and the missions must work in close co-operation. Fortunately, a move was made in 1946 to call together an Education Commission under Government auspices, composed of experts and representatives of all the interested parties in order to study and solve the problem of common text-books ; and committees are now currently at work upon the problem. C. TRAINING OF LEADERS 23. Only by throwing increasing responsibilities upon the resident population can leaders be trained to deal with the national problems of Samoa. The testimony brought before the Mission was well nigh universal to the effect that Samoan and European residents were not appointed or advanced in Government positions up to the measure of their capacity. In many cases local people of both Samoan and European status have left Government employment because of lack of any prospects of attaining higher positions, and have transferred into private enterprises or emigrated to New Zealand ; and many of them have made good. 24. The Samoan medical practitioners, trained in Fiji, have as a group proved a success. On several occasions while visiting outlying villages and districts, the Mission was struck by the quality and excellence of the work carried on, often under highly adverse and difficult conditions, by Samoan medical practitioners. These practitioners are trusted by the Samoan people —perhaps too much so in view of the limitations of their training. Far from complaining about their services, the Samoans ask that district hospitals under their charge should have their facilities extended. Similarly, the Samoan pastors of the Protestant Church and the Samoan priests and lay workers of the Catholic Church have won positions of high respect. The Government should also be advancing Samoans into higher positions of trust and responsibility. 25. Mention has already been made (see paragraph 85 of Chapter II) of the creation of a Samoan Public Service Commission. 26. The Mission feels that the present salary scales and conditions of tenure should be reviewed. These are currently being considered by the New Zealand authorities. Every effort should be made to avoid humiliating local residents by paying them according to a salary scale lower than that paid to overseas personnel for identical positions. Possibly, in cases where outsiders are still needed, some solution could be found by paying them an expatriation allowance plus the local salary rate. In the positions of highest responsibilities or high specialization the problem does not arise as yet because there are no. local personnel to fill such positions.
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