SAMOAN COMMISSION

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 17, 14 October 1927, Page 11

SAMOAN COMMISSION

CROSS-EXAMINATION OF, NELSON ADMITS ERRONEOUS STATEMENT (Special to Press Assn.—By Radio.) Apia, October 11. The Samoan Commission continued its sittings, Sir Charles Skerrett presiding. The remainder of the day was spent in the cross-examination of the Hon. O. I’’. Nelson, seeking to show that he knew that the effect of the action of bis committee would be to cause serious native unrest. Mr. Nelson maintained his allegations against the Medical Department, especially the Chief Medical Officer, in spite of favourable reports on the latter by Doctors Buxton and Hopkins, of the Loudon School of Tropical Medicine, and Dr. Lambert, of the Rockefeller Institute. He said he still thought that the Department did not inspire respect and excited ridicule, though one or two of its doctors did good work. He admitted that his committee’s financial report, published to natives and Europeans, contained serious inaccuracies which he might easily have detected, if he had had time to check them. He had been too busy. It was true, Mr. Nelson admitted, that the report went out- to natives and others with the undeniable influence of his name on natives. His allegation about the foreclosure of the £lOO,OOO loan was based on a statement of the late Mr. Massey to Parliament about the Crown estates being security ‘for the loan. He admitted his statements in examination-in-chief about Apia town properties taken over with reparation estates had now been shown to be erroneous. He had based his evidence on what had been reported to him. Sir Charles Skerrett commented on the fact that the witness seemed to be singularly lacking in the quality of being sure of his facts, which men in the position .of public leaders always should strive for. “INCENDIARY WAY OF, TALKING” BY TELEGRAPH.—PRESS ASSOCIATION. Copyright. (Rec. October 13, 5.5 p.m.) Apia, October 12. Mr. Nelson, replying to Judge MacCormick, said he supposed the reason why seventy or more Samoans for several weeks remained in Apia, disobeying the Administrator’s orders to return to their homes, was “because they objected to being ordered about like children.” , Sir Charles Skerrett: “That, Mr. Nelson, is rather typical of some of your observations in 'the presence of Samoans. It is an incendiary way of talking-”