SITUATION IN SAMOA

Dominion, Volume 20, Issue 255, 27 July 1927, Page 12

SITUATION IN SAMOA

t BILL IN COMMITTEE e h >- ANOTHER LONG DEBATE i i LATE SITTING IN PROSPECT r ' t * I Samoan affairs were again : the subject of a protracted de- : bate in the House of Representatives yesterday, when the Samoa Amendment Bill was considered in committee. It ' was intended to put the Bill through its final stages before the House rose, with the result that the discussion was still in 1 progress when “The Dominion” went to press. The Prime Minister intimated that 1 an assurance would be given that no natives would be deported, and that any accused would have the right to services of counsel. The Bill was committed at 4.30’p.m., the Prime Minister (Right Hon. J. G. Coates) moving that, it ' be accorded urgency. The Opposition called for a division, and the motion was carried fey 48 votes to 12, the Nationalists voting with the Government. Speaking on the short title, the Leader of the Opposition (Mr. H. E. Holland) said that if the Government already possessed all the powers they wanted, as they had claimed, why the need for urgency? The Bill was simply terroristic legislation. The Prime Minister: Do you prefer to do it by Order-in-Council ? Mr. Holland: The Government have done by Order-in-Council things there was no constitutional authority for. Mr. V. H. Potter' (Roskill) strongly objected to deportation without trial. There was undoubtedly a “.white element” up against the Government in the Islands, he said. Proposed Amendment. Mr. G. W. Forbes (Nationalist Party) explained the amendment he proposed in the Bill, namely, to associate the Chief Judge of the High Court, or such other person or persons as might be appointed by the , Governor-General-in-Council, with the Administrator, in the exercise of the | powers under the Act. A further amendment was to permit a person charged under the Act to have the qs- I sistance of counsel. Mr. W. D. Lysnar (Gisborne) said that he could only record his vote against the Bill as an uncalled-for measure. The only justification for the powers proposed was a state of war, which did not exist in Samoa. Mr. J. A. Lee (Auckland East) said the Minister of External Affairs had met the Citizens’ Committee in Samoa, not as a fair-minded investigator, but , as a hostile and biased advocate of the Samoan Administration. Mr. J. McCombs (Lyttelton) said that the importation • of cheap Chinese and Island labour would not be tolerated in New Zealand, and yet for daring to criticise the action of the 1 Administration in that connection Samoans would be deported. Mr. H. L. Tapley (Dunedin North) asked who was posting the Leader of the Opposition up with all the information lie had given the House on the subject, Mr. Tapley defended General Richardson from any charge of dereliction of duty. The cause of the trouble was the discontent of the commercial people of Samoa with the altered trading conditions regarding the copra output. Security of Natives. | The Prime Minister said the Adminis- I trator now had the power to deport ' natives, but an assurance would be given that no natives would- be deported: J from Samoa. It might be necessary to ■ i emove them to other villages. Mr. Lysnar: Just as bad The Prime Minister: Tn the old days they were banished 2000 miles. Sir .Maui Pomare: Tbev Z-re knocked on the head. (Laughter.) I The Prime Minister said that was too far back. He would give a plain assurance <o the House that natives would not be deported from Samoa. Mr. H. E. Holland: And not banished to other islands! The Prime Minister: They may be banished from one island to another. Dealing with the power under Order-in-Council, the Prime Minister affirmed that hitherto the whole matter lay with the Minister of External Affairs in regard to the deportation of / Europeans and Natives, who'had been resident in Samoa a certain time, but the power was never used. In considering the matter lately, the Government had decided that the power of deportation should rightly rest with the Government after reviewing all the circumstances. The power was now being given to Parliament direct to say that a person,, should be deported. An assurance would also be given that any accused would have the right to the.services of counsel. ' Mr. D. G. Sullivan (Avon) said the' proposed power of deportation was being severely, /criticised even by the Press supporting the Government. Mr. J. Horn (WakatipU) supported the suggestion to associate the Chief Judge of the High Court with the Ad- c

ministrator in carrying out the Act. Mr. M. J. Savage (.Auckland West) said every crime under the sun was now provided foi in the Samoan Code, and the only other thing they could do was to put in another punishment, that of “boiling them down.” Mr. Lysnar gave notice to move several amendments, including one providing the right to call evidence and to be represented by counsel. Mr. W. A. Veitch (Wanganui) considered that the mission to report on the condition of Samoa should have been entrusted to a Minister like Sir Maui Pomare. I £ Plantations Endangered. Mr. E. P. Lee (Oamaru) said the seventy-two fqipules who ' signed the document presented recently to the Minister on his arrival were the accredited representatives of the Samoan • people, and due heed therefore must be given to their report as against tha statements of two or three members of the Citizens’ Committee, The position was serious. Last j’ear five million beetles had been destroyed,, but the natives were being advised now not to destroy beetles, endangering the plantations. Mr. W. J, Jordan (Manukau) said it was a moot point whether Sir George Richardson was to blame, for the present position, or was only carrying out a policy laid down by the Minister. 7 Mr. W. E, Parry (Auckland Central) said the Minister in his interviews at Samoa showed that he did not understand the native mind. Hon. W. Nosworthy: Who was I talking to? Not the natives, but the European members of the committee. Mr. Parry said the Administrator was the only person to decide whether a breach of the law had been committed. Promise Fulfilled. The Minister of Internal Affairs' said the promise made that.lie would inquire into the standing of the natives and others was fulfilled in the statement he had previously given to the House. He visited Samoa, arid inquired into the state of affairs, and advised his colleagues to the best of his ability. They had taken the course they considered necessary to deal with the position, whether the Labour benches liked it or not. He never tried to misrepresent 'anvbody, but the same consideration had not been extended to him during the Samoan discussion, and lie had to complain as to the way various utterances of his had been twisted about that night. He had nothing whatever to apologise for. • ' ' 1 ( Mr. E. J. Howard (Christchurch South) said the British Empire had placed its Judges above, all politics. We were creating a Judge in ' Samoa who had political ' pull, and they were giving him unlimited power. Mr. D. G. Sullivan . (Avon) said the more he reflected upon the fundamentals of the Bill, the more distasteful it became to him. . There wa’s not the slightest justification for the Bill in the present state of, Samoa.. . The short title was still, being discussed at midnight, and the debate' was in progress when Tub Dominion went to press. .

WELLINGTON SHOW SITE BILL BEFORE.PARLIAMENT. . The legislative authority winch will enable the Wellington City Council to 'permit the Wellington. Shqw Association to erect buildings and;- construct pleasure grounds on the Town? Belt in ' the vicinity of John Street and to provide for the maintenance, and control of the buildings' and grounds, and for their use for exhibitions and entertainments, was, introduced into the' House of Representatives yesterday; The ;Bill was read a first time and referred'to the Local Bills Committee. ; Claiming that her husband’s, ‘death, in Christchnn n 'ii November, T.’2i,_i w::s the result of war servii-e'.' Mis? .Uashcl Mills, m a petition presented l,v Mr. H. T. Armstrong,-M.P.. asks that'; a soldier’s widow pension, beqgranttd for herself and .'child. Petitioner 'states that her husband’ joined? the N,Z.E,F, in March, 1917, and left with; the-26th Reinforcement. While it Sling C'amp he-met with ,an accident in September, 1917, for which he was., operatjd: . oh about three months later. He did-not recover sufficiently to go-to-France and returned to New Zealand in June, 1919. •Although a strong, healthy man before enlisting, he never enjoyed good health after his return. She adds that her application for a soldier’s . widow pension was turned down and two appeals to the Pensions Appeals Board were disallowed. ; The Preferential Voting Bill, which has been introduced in the;_House by’ Mr. J. McCombs (Dytteltonj suggests that the operation of -the' measure shall be confined to national polls." Proposals are to -be carried on a bare majority of (the total first preference votes. If no proposal receives such a majority the returning officer is to allocate the votes of the proposal which has received fewest first preferences among the other proposals, according to the preferences indicated by the voter, continuing the process of rejection and distribution until one proposal has obtained a majority.