MARINES IN SAMOA.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 66, 19 March 1930, Page 7

MARINES IN SAMOA.

TWENTY-FIVE LEFT BEHIND., COMMODORE ON RECENT , ' STATEMENT. . "• •/; 'V'.-.. ■ v 1 "PUBLISHED" WITHOUT MY >; , ■' KNOWLEDGE. " . . . I' • I When H.M.s. Dunedin sailed away from Apia, all was quiet on, the Samoaii front. The wanted men of the Mau liad been surrendered. Twenty-five marines and two officers of the Dunedin have been left behind at the request of the Administrator in order that the' situation a sit now stands will be consolidated and that there will' be no recurrence of the former trouble: ; -- ; Commodore Geoffrey Blake, C.8., D.5.0., referring to his statement, recently published in the Press throughout' New Zealand, said: "The statement was published without my knowledge or authority. I gave the pressman concerned all the information I could, so that he could form his own opinion of. the situation. There was a misunderstanding." The Commodore said that the whole trip had. been extremely satisfactory. The Air, Force seaplane, piloted by Flight Lieutenant S. Wallingford, had cooperated well, and had done splendid work. All . the operations had worked smoothly. .

"Sixty per cent of the men who lia/I been landed in Samoa were New. Zealand ratings, and they did maqrnificent work.' 5 said the Commodore. "The conditions were very trying, and they had a hard time, but their work all through was , really splendid. The heat was terrific', and the men who were sent into the bush had a terribly hard time.: T/wmv boots fell to pieces, and eventually;they, got down to wearing rubber shoes," ; .

[Publication of the statement referred to by Commodore Blake was due to amisunderstanding. There is no sugges-. tion of a breach of faith. —Ed.]