TRIAL OF CHIEFS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 285, 2 December 1933, Page 10

TRIAL OF CHIEFS.

SAMOAN CHARGES. MALAGA ROUND THE ISLAND. THE MATT ORGANISATION. The recent trial at Apia before Chief Judge Luxford of eight Samoan chiefs, who were charged with having identified themselves as being members of a seditious organisation known as the Mau, lasted three days. The chiefs were Solia, Autagavaia, Su, Tamaseu, Molio'o, Leutele, Une and Leleua. Tamaseu pleaded guilty, and the others not guilty. Autagavaia was sentenced to twelve months' imprisonment and the others to six months' imprisonment.

I Mr. A. McCarthy, who represented the 1 police, said the defendants had left Apia at 8 a.m. 011 November 16 for a malaga round the island. The police alleged that ther were members of the Mau committee and were engaged in spreading the constitution of the Mau among the natives. The police had a document which was alleged to set out the constitution. The committee of the Mau was to make inspection of villages, roads and plantations, and owing to the depression would not collect money, but food was to be contributed. Where there was carelessness in the care of plantations, villages, etc., the offenders were to be fined. The police went to LoutuanuU and brought the -defendants to Apia.

I Inspector Braisby said that the malaga [was being conducted according to instructions contained in a document found at Mr. 0. F. Nelson's residence. The document said that nothing was to be done to obstruct or reject any functions or works or- instructions given by the Government, and that the true purpose of the Mau was a desire to do functions or works that were not or could not be done by the Government according to the customs of former times, also to end all things not in proper accord with the stage of understanding at the present time. Councils of leading orators and leading committees were instructed to collect taxes and contributions in accordance with the instructions of the Mau. The document also save instructions how the work of the Mau should go on.

No Permits to Travel. In reply to Mr. McCarthy, witness said that the Mau had been declared a seditious organisation. The defendants had no permits to travel. They admitted that they were members of the committee of the Mau, and said they had not consulted Mr. Nelson on the present malaga. They had visited a disturbed area. In reply to the defendants, witness said that he had selected the police party and also the firearms that were to be carried. Sub-Inspector Fell said that the meetings and gatherings at Vaimoso were breaches of the law. The firearms were not concealed and they had not threatened the defendants. Had tliey not agreed to come to Apia he would have arrested them, as his instructions were to bring them in.

Ignorance of Law. For the defence, ignorance of the law that the Mau was a seditious organisation was claimed. They admitted that they were' members of the Mau committee and that the malaga was undertaken. They did not know that it was necessary to have permits to travel. Une denied that the Mau was seditious. They had 110 plans for war or argument that would cause trouble. The chiefs and people were dissatisfied with the Government, and it was their wish to meet the Administrator and empty out all their grievances, and if the Government did the same perhaps the chiefs would settle in their own way.

i Judge Luxford said that the evidence proved beyond all reasonable doubt that j the accused were members of the Mau (committee. The Mau organisation had been declared seditious. The law proI vided a prohibition upon any person summoning, conducting or addressing any meeting held for the purposp of a seditious organisation. His duty was to point -out to those who broke the law the folly of their actions. Only by obedience to the law could peace and happiness to the Islands be assured. The law had to be obeyed and no people had the right to disobey the law, even if they thought that it was wrong. The Mau was a bad organisation, and the Government would be failing in its duty if it did not by every means in its power do everything possible to suppress it. There could only be one Government in the country, and if an organisation set itself up to oppose and unset the Government, then it was a seditious organisation.

Samoa's Mandate. Proceeding, Judge Luxfopl said that the nations of the world recognised Samoa as a separate State and that it belonged to the people who were resident there. That was the meaning of the words in the mandate given by the League of Nations; but the nations of the, world had decided also that the Samoan people had not reached the state when they were fit to govern themselves. They decided, therefore, that somebody should govern the country on behalf of the Samoan people and that task was given to the Government of New Zealand until such time as the Samoan people should do it for themselves.

"While the mandate continues," said Judge Luxford, "it is the solemn, the bounden duty of the .Government to control Western Samoa in a way that it thinks best for your advancement. Several of you have used the expression ii. your evidence, 'Samoa for th-i Samoans,' indeed that is the motto of your organisation. I ask this question: What is Western Samoa ? It is the rock and the soil and the things that grow thereon, and 'all are surrounded by the waters'of tlie Pacific Ocean. Do you know that not one acre of native land can be purchased by a European ? It is true that Europeans bought your land in the past, but when was that? At a time when the Samoans were governing themselves, and why? In o r der to buy guns and munitions with which to fiirht one another. Were the Samoans willing to part with their lands? If it had not been for the Land Commissioners who came to Samoa in 1891 and stayed here until 1890, how difficult would'have been the position of the Samoan people today. In this very district of Vairna'uga were not 7000 acres in one' block given back to .lie Samoans of this district; and then the Great Powers forbade the selling of Samoan lands and that prohibition is still maintained by the present Government.

Slow to Learn. "A country like Samoa does not learn to govern itself in a short time, but only after years of hard and patient study will its people reach the stage of undertaking a government on its own behalf. It is only thirty-three - years

since you ceased to govern yourself and since that happened wars aatontr you have stopped. Look back over your history and you will see that previeusly to the establishment of th® Kaiser's government war for ever beset this land. "History teaches us most lessons, and the lesson it teaches me is that when a body of men is formed for the purpoen of opposing or upsetting the government, then it is a body which must be punished severely. You are all members of the committee of the Mau, and by virtue of the pule that is given to you by your chiefly titles, the people follow you. That makes your offence very serious."