SAMOA APPEAL CASE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 245, 16 October 1931, Page 9

SAMOA APPEAL CASE.

CONVICTION OF NELSON AND COMPANY. APPLICATION. TOPFULL COURT. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) ■• WELLINGTON, this day. Another appeal.'from r the High Court of Western Samoa came before the Full Court, yesterday afternoon at Wellington. This was , the case O. F. Nelson and Company, Limited, v. Police (Samoa).

In January' an information -was laid by the police in Samoa charging the company, with 28 different breaches of the Samoan regulations of January, 1930, in that it had "participated in and >ided,.: .;..:;Aiid;:..-;enc9\u:agecL^, i .the.. iactivitie"s kT of"'a seditious b'rgafrisation,- to wit', the' Mau/by receiving variousVsiims 6£ money, on- its behalf:' . The company was found guilty arid convicted by Chief Judge I/uxford- and 'fined the maximum penalty of £200 on each charge, making the tptalfine £5600. The company now is appealing'from that judgment. ' Mr. Moody, for the : appellant company, said the appeal' was based on the following grounds:—(l) "That the convictions were not justified by the facts; (2)' that they were erroneous in point of law;. (3) that in any case the penalties were excessive.

Counsel, said -the suggestion made by the prosecution in the. Court below was that by the receiving of these moneys and the giving of; receipts - for" them the company had committed a bfcaeii of the. Samoan regulations/ the' inference being "that the moneys were to-be used for the purposes of the Mau. ;The total amount received was ' £238 .5/. ■Tlie contention : of- the •'appellant company,, however,, as ■ made in the Court below,'was that these'moneys Were paid into:the office of the company at Apia by members of the Mau for the purpose of being forwarded to Sir. Nelson personally in part payment of debts due by the Mau to him. . The moneys were received by employees of the company that they might be forwarded to Mr. Nelson in discharge of the debts owing to him at a time prior to the Mau being declared, illegal. These debts had been incurred by Mr. Nelson meeting legal expenses and purchasing goods on.behalf of members of the Mau. (Proceeding.)