THE "DISPLAY OF FORCE"

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 58, 9 March 1928, Page 8

THE "DISPLAY OF FORCE"

MR. NELSON'S CRITICISM (To the Editor.) Sir,—The latest news from Samoa does not bear out the hopes -which the Government held out for an early settlement of J the Samoan trouble, Tamasese's reply, mi behalf of the Mau to the Administrator, is, as the reports state, equivalent to a demand for self-government. It adopts the slogan "Samoa for the Samoans." General Richardson says the proposal cannot be entertained because it is "seditious." If this be so, then General Richardson should first be charged with sedition, as he is, by his own admission, the author of this slogan. Why are the terms of the Administrator's "conciliatory" concessions to the Samoans . not published ? The Government supporters have been shouting from the house-tops that "copra and liquor" are the root causes of the whole trouble. What part are these issues playing in the negotiations for a settlement? I£ they do not figure in the play at all, what further delusions for the people will the Government give out as an excuse for this? If the slogan "Samoa for the Samoans" is now made out to be the cause of the unrest then the Administrator himself should-have been the first to be deported for putting the idea into the heads of the Samoans. What form of justice is it to allow the Administrator to negotiate with 400 Samoans who have been sentenced to imprisonment by the High Court on the Administrator's own charge?; Is it not significant that the Administrator did not condescend (or dare) to negotiate with the Mau nor did he even recognise it as a representative body of Samoans until he had two warships in port and bluejackets patrolling the streets o£ Apia? The time is long overdue for the Government to admit the failure of the military tactics they have adopted in respect to Samoa, and the urgent changes necessary to bring about a basis for negotiations with the Samoans should be effected without delay. • A continuance of the present policy to threaten the Samoans to ' submission with the display of force is as much sheer folly as ; it is attended _w*th grave risks. The longer the concession of the demands of the Samoans is delayed the greater the demands will be, and despite all the big talk of to-day, these demands will have to be conceded in a large.measure in time. How ridiculous some of the present official statements would appear then? To interpret Tamasese's, remarks'' literally to mean that all the white officials would be dispensed with is absurd. In Tonga, where the natives have self-gov-ernment under a British Protectorate, there are ra number of departments in charge of white officials appointed by the protecting Power, and quite a few Europeans in all branches of the Government. There has been no call'for His Majesty's Navy to assist in the settlement of. any dispute in Tonga, the people are happy, taxation light, and the Treasury has a credit surplus which I understand is invested in New Zealand Government curities.—l am, etc., .'' • ' 0. F. NELSON. ■ Auckland, 7th March. . ' : .