RIOT AT APIA.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 19815, 31 December 1929, Page 9

RIOT AT APIA.

EIGHT DEATHS REPORTED. | HIGH CHIEF TAMA3ESE DEAD. NO FIRTHER INCIDENTS EXPECTED. ~By Rudio —S (wpc in I to Pre.. lA. l»eceml»cr Six of ihi- Mhii natives have >!. c.l of wounds received in the disturbance on Saturday, including the High 1 h '"'' Tnm.isosf, who this moriiuig. Twelve are in hospital, including the High Chief Tiiimalealt 'ifan.i, who h*» a slight arm wound. EXTENT OF THE CASUALTIES. ATTACK LASTED ONLY FEW MINI TES. [THE FHEM Special »»nric« ] WELLINGTON, Doteuiber 'MI A further communication received by the Prime Minister from Colonel Allen I to-day, is to the effect that the casual j ties on Saturday an far as are known were:— i Police—One killed. si* injured (none fccvercly). Samoans —Kiglit killed (including those who have died of wound*, ami also including Tamascse, who died on Sunday), and twelve wounded, who were treated in hospital. The Administrator states that (rem 1500 to 2000 Mau paraded on Katur day, and that about, 300 took part in the attack on the police. The attack lasted only a few minutes. Afterward* the Mau hurried off to Vaimoso. The Mau had'now" dispersed, and no further in cidents were expected. Commenting on the above news to day the Prime Minister (Sir Joseph Ward) Bfiid that the loss of life as a result of the disturbance waa greatly to be deplored, but the information to hand showed conclusively that the police acted with great forbearance, and that firearms were used only an a last re sort. A full meeting of Cabinet ha» been called for tomorrow to diieuas the latest phase of the trouble in Western Samoa. The meeting will take plane at 11 a.m. at the Prime Minister's residence at Heretaunga, where he is eon vnlescing after his prolonged Illness. Those members of Cabinet who are not already in Wellington have been specially summoned, and most of them will arrive to-morrow. [Tamasose, who «m a Sanman chief of high rank, also leader of the Mau, was arrestee! under dramatic circumstances early on the morning of November 27th, 11*28. The police hud been searching for him tor day* in the bush, where h® had taken refuge?. He gave no further trouble when arrested. He was wanted for failure to obey an order of the High Court to pay taxes and for this he waa sentenced to hi weeks' imprisonment, the term being made cumulative with that of •< sentence of six months for resisting arrest. The sentence was served at Mt Eden Prison, Auckland ] SCENE OF THE DISTURB ANCE. SIR GEORGE RICHARDSON'S DESCRIPTION. [THE **»•■ ipwUl »•**!«• 1 AUCKLAND, December 30. The scene of the disturbance it Apia was described to day by Sir Gsorge Richardson, former Administrator of the mandated territory of Western Samoa, who ifl mow resident "in Auckland* "The telephone wires, which are re ported to have been wrecked, run from Apia as far as Mulifanua on the w«t r.t Upolu Island," said Hir Ueorge. "Wires also connect Apia with the wire less station and various Government plantations. The severing of the wires would mean that Apia would have r.o telephonic communication with the outer districts. The police station is in the middle of the town and dose to the waterfront. The whole of the disturbance would be enacted along the front of the beach. The beach road mentioned in the message is about a mile long, and skirts the waterfront. The wharf is situated about the centre « the waterfront. It was there that the New Zealand troops landed in 1914. The Folic# foro®. Sir George added that the police forte at present consists of about 30 white officers from New Zealand and about the same number of Natives, all under the eontrol of an Inspector, Mr A. L. Braisby. In the days of Sir George <t regime there were only two white police men, the others being Natives. Sir George considered the present force to be moderately strong, although he pointed out that not all the members of the force were at Apia, but were distributed around the island*. Tinwhite policemen were sent from New Zealand, and were organised on a mili tary basis, but after a year the force was enrolled on a civil basis. As New Zealand time is a day ahead of Samoan time the disturbance on New Zealand reckoning occurred yesterday ! morning.