The Dominion FRIDAY, MARCH 23, 1928. THE ADMINISTRATION AT SAMOA

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 149, 23 March 1928, Page 10

The Dominion FRIDAY, MARCH 23, 1928. THE ADMINISTRATION AT SAMOA

The important announcement made by the Prime Minister this morning regarding the appointment of a new Administiator at Samoa, and his lengthy survey of the situation of affairs which developed from the time of the warships’ arrival at Apia till the pi esent juncture, will be read with critical interest.' The new Administrator, Mr. S. S. Allen, of Morrinsville, is very highly recommended by the Government as an officer possessing the requisite personality, tact, patience and firmness for the peaceful handling of the very difficult crisis in the Mandated Territory. Mr. Allen is probably much better known in the Auckland district than in other parts of New Zealand, where little, if anything is known of his qualifications for the highly responsible post to which he has been appointed. He is a lawyer, with a brilliant University career at Oxford, and distinguished war service behind him. In 1922 he was a candidate for political honours, but was unable to dislodge Mr. Poland from his seat in the Ohinemuri electorate. These personal details do not, however, reveal the possession of the very special qualifications necessary for the successful administration of a troubled Territory, but if the Government’s estimate of his character is sound, he should prove to be a capable and successful administrator. In normal circumstances such an appointment would occasion very little public concern. But'the circumstances are not normal, and with a public very critically watching the future course of events, the new Administrator and his methods are likely to be studied with considerable interest.

In his survey of the situation the Prime Minister makes it clear that up to the present it has been only by the exercise of extraordinary patience that it has been possible to refrain from forcible measures in dealing with the recalcitrant Mau. For example:— “An attempt was made to arrest Tamasese (one of the leaders of the Mau) when he was returning to his home from the second illegal fono. The attempt led to considerable excitement among the Samoans, and although it could undoubtedly have been effected had force been used, it was considered by those on the. spot that in the circumstances it was not desirable to risk injury to these misguided people unless that was rendered essential by attempted violence on their part. Accordingly no further steps were taken, and as a matter of fact the Mau subsequently dispersed peacefully to their homes, leaving in Apia a committee with the object no doubt of watching events.” The present position, therefore, appears to be that the Mau and its followers are irreconcilible, and are engaged in a campaign of passive resistance —not an easy form of obstruction to deal with Whether force will eventually be necessary is a matter for conjecture. Whatever happens, the authority of the New Zealand Government, and the laws of the Territory, must be enforced. The Prime Minister has made his intentions in that respect perfectly clear, and these intentions will be conveyed to the Samoans in due course. It is possible that, with a new mind on the spot—often a very good thing in difficult circumstances where strained relations have existed for a considerable period—matters may gradually resolve themselves into a workable situation. Most people will agree, however, that patience has been carried to its farthest limits, to a point, in fact, where the leading irreconcilibles might be tempted to think that warships and police reinforcements are mere empty gestures. This is the situation with which a new and untried Administrator is being called upon to deal. From one point of view it might have been of value to Mr. Alfen if he had the benefit of a consultation with Sir George Richardson before the latter left the Territory. From another, it might be as well that he should go to his post with a perfectly open mind, to' take Western Samoa and its excitable people as he finds them. One can only hope that he will succeed in determining by conciliatory mea/ures a situation provocative of more seritius trouble if unduly prolonged.