SAMOA SEDITION CASE.

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21118, 20 March 1934, Page 16

SAMOA SEDITION CASE.

O. F. NELSON ARRIVES IN CHRISTCHIRCH LODGED IX PAI'ARLA I'RISOS Sentenced to eight months' ur.pr:sonment and 10 years of exile Oiaf Frederick Nelson, who was convicted in Samoa of several charges of sedition, arrived in Lyttelton yesterday cm board the Government mot or-vessel Maui Pomare and was sent to Paparua Prison, where he will be held ia custody pending the hearing of his appeal against his conviction. N» special significance attaches to ihe choice of Paparua as his prison, and he has been sent there simply because Lyttelton happened to be th* first port of call in New Zealand of the Maui Pomare. Nelson was accompanied by his wift and two of his daughters, while Mr F. D. Baxter, of Auckland, his solicitor, and Mr R. T. Pleasants, roaaager at Auckland for the firm, of O. F. Nelson and Company, Ltd., wb» arrived from the north on Sunday, went on board the Maui Pomare as soon as it berthed to confer with tie Nelson family. Mr Baxter stated after the interview that no statement about the family's movements could b* made at present, although Mrs Nelson and her daughters would probably live in Christchureh for a time. Nelson was taken from the Maci Pomare to the railway station by members of the Lyttelton police fore*. and was brought to Christchureh by the 8-23 a.m. train. In the city he was met by officers from Paparua and taken to the prison immediately. Since bail has been refused he will remaia there until his appeal has been heard. If the sentence is upheld he may still stay at Paparua or possibly be transferred elsewhere in New Zealand.

This, is the second occasion cfl which Nelson has been compelled to leave Samoa, since he was deportei in 1027 lor a period of five years. However, there is an important difference between the deportation order issued against him then and the sentence of exile imposed on him a fortnight ago. The deportation order wai an executive order issued under * clause in the Samoa Amendment Act which empowered ihe Administrator, if authorised by the Governor-Gene-ral-in-Council, to deport from Samoa any European hindering the administration of tiie territory. Under that order Nelson was permitted to stay in New Zealand, where he spent a good deal of the five years. Under the sentence of exile imposed on him for sedition bv the Chief Judsc, Mr J. H Luxford, it will be fur the Government to decide whether he may remain in the Dominion. The sentence was passed under the following clause in the criminal Samoa Act, 1921: •'When any person other than a Samoan born in Sumua i-. convicted by the High Court of any offence for .vhich he i~. liable lo one year's imprisonment or upwards he may, i [! addition lo imprisonment, be sentenced to exile' from Samoa for any term not exceeding !,"> years from th? date on which the sentence i- s P ro " nounced; if any person so sentenced to exile is at any time later than two months arter tiie expiry of fr.e term of his imprisonment, anil before trie expiry of the term of his exile, found in Samoa he sha.ll be uu'l'v of sa -.Teller, and slnl! b- < :ib'.: to h»rrisonmtr.; tor 10 years "