MANDATE RULE

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 82, 16 October 1928, Page 4

MANDATE RULE

DECISION AT GENEVA NEW ZEALAND AND SAMOA (From "Tho Post's" Representative.) LONDON, 7th September. A very important questiou , which camo before the Council of tho League at Geneva on 31st August was the report of the Mandates Commission dealing with tho recent trouble in Samoa. In June the news reached London from Mr. Julian Grande ("Daily Telegraph" representative) that the members were unanimous in agreeing that the Royal Commission's report was a true and impartial statement of the tacts, that tho Governor of Samoa had acted all along in the interests of the population, and that tho administration of the mandate had been entirely satisfactory. Tho Council last Saturday endorsed the observations of tho Mandates Comsion and instructed the Secretary-Gen-eral to communicate them to tho New Zealand Government. Tho Marquis Theodoli, President of th' Mandates Commission, in summaris: ing the report, said that the existence of the Commission should not hamper .local authorities in their efforts to maintain order and respect for authority, for such a situation would constitute an unfortunate example for other territories. He would think it most unfortunate if 300 or 400 persons who had been arrested could believe that they •had been able to avoid their .sentence of six months' imprisonment simply by reference to Geneva. ' . The Commission wished the New Zealand Government to know that it was strongly supported by the Commisison in its efforts to maintain order and respect for the authorities. The first duty of a Mandatory Power was to 'maintain, order and prevent any unjust and illegal assumption of authority by anybody. "INTRIGUING" HALF-CASTES. With regard to the natives, the Commission had no ground to believe that left-to themselves they would have shown serious discontent. How, therefore, had half-castes been able to stir up the natives! It should be realised that some of those half-castes were rich, intriguing, and active in political affairs, that they had no fear of employing all means of action, v and .that they had even gone so far as to endeavour to create a movement towards independence. It was possible that tho Administration itself had unconsciously provided a weapon for these agitators on account of certain imprudent speeches that had been made in Parliament by representatives of the Government concerning the election of natives in representative councils. A tribute should, howovcr, be rendered .to the disintcrostedaios^ and to the reforming zeal of the Administrator, while recognising that this zoal had, perhaps, sought to achieve certain reforms too hastily. In regard to public health, the Administration had done excellent work, which its adversaries had presented to the natives in a false light, as was true also in the ease of land tenure. The Mandates Commission approved the deportation of the,agitator Nelson, which should be maintained as long as ho refused to give securities for submission. Tho conclusion in, that tho wholu .trouble in Samoa was raised by three agitators led by NelsonThe Dutch Rapporteur to tho Council, iv commenting on the importance of the report, said that it should bo clearly understood that a Mandatory Power remained alone responsible for maintaining law and order.