WESTERN SAMOA

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 86, 8 October 1930, Page 4

WESTERN SAMOA

ANOTHER LABOUR ATTACK

DEPRECATED BY MINISTER OF DEFENCE

'' , ; ..;Nen: Zealand's administration.of. Western Samoa again came .".. under review in the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon • when the annual report dealing with the Mandated Territory was '"' discussed.'. Events leading up to and following the disturbance, at ■ the end. of 1928 were dealt with in vigorous style by. the Leader of the Labour Party, who claimed that the present Government had -; a lot to answer for in connection with its actions. He stressed ; ■ the need for a searching inquiry into Samoan affairs. The Minister , of Defence deprecated anything that would tend to cause further . ■ trouble,, in the islands, and indicated that the Samoans were now ■ ■ settling down to a peaceful life.- Mi\ Holland's criticism was also .'answered by Mr. Downie Stewart, who alleged that the Labour i Party would take up a biased attitude in regarfl to Samoa whatever ; the reports of Commissions might reveaL A thoughtfur contribution -. to the debate was made by the/Native Minister XSirApirana Ngata), •';■' who referred to the difficulties which were always experienced in I administering a Native race.

■! The Leader of the Labour Party '{Mi: H. E. Holland) said that the report was one-of the most misleading documents that had been presented to the House in regard to Western Samoa. There wore tlolibcratc miss-tatcinents; in the report, "but he would confine hiinsfclf to1 the tragedy, of 2Sth December, 2*928. ■ He had read through the-evi-dence, and was convinced thatthe Government and the -Administration had a lift to answer for. He objectod to the •"'wanted" men being called criminals because they had refused to pay taxes, lit was said ithat there: were two **wanted" men. in the procession, but jtiie police attention seemed to be concentrated on a ,man named Matu, 'who had refused to. pay taxes. . The method jo'f bringing these men into the category of "wanted" men could not be tolerated either by pakeha or Maori. '. Whoever gave the. order for the arrest of the men in the procession was criminally guilty of a. blunder and not fit for ■the position which he held., It was provocative action. When, the Samoans retaliated with stones after an unexpected attack, the police opened up revolvers., The use of revolvers git this1 stage was • wholly unauthorised and indiscriminate. The death _of 'Constable Abraham was not known pntil after the affray, so that the firing isjould not be said to have been the Igesult of* indignation. When Tamasese pith his hands Upraised moved through Ids people "in an endeavour to restoio peace, pleading with the police to stop firing, ;he was shot tlown. The nature pf some of ■ the wounds indicated that Ho.me of the Samoans were killed by Jnaehine gun fire, ; , WATERED DOWN.; . .-,_■■■ 'The Coroner'had' obviously watered iioyra his.^erdi'ctiiib'.utdn spite of that ittere we.rs Charges against the pplice Vhich'w.ere 'not investigated, continued", Mr. Hollandj >". Somebody jghould have been'charged with murder •■—because if it was not murder, then inturder has never been commiijted.- Despite the horror of the Samoans at the jdeath of their chief and their companions, the natives re-organised their and met the visitors. Mr. Holland, saidvJie-was not going Sto defend the language used by Mr. Slipper, but it was astonishing that he could not'express- the views of-: his clients.-- It-was equally ■that a barrister and solicitor of the New Zealand Supreme Court had to lake out a traders' licence before he <could practise in Samoa. In the Administrator's report were damaging statejnents against the Samoan women, and imfortunately these statements could ii.pt be challenged before the League of Rations, except ■ through ■ the Government that had presented them. It had been said that all was quiet : In Samoa at the present time, but in reality the trouble had been driven underground, and this made the situation .even1 ■worse. : : •:' One of the worst mistakes that had IJBeii made was the appointing of milij.ary meitio.-the office of Administrator. .These men did not understand the trharacteristics of the Samoan people. DCt was-time that tho Government held & searcliing. investigation - into the ?whole of a administration with a view %o lighting the-wrongs done and-win-'jxing baclc the confidence of the people fit Samoa, There should be a "rceogSy.tion of the customs of the natives, jiyh'o were; pntitle.d to a voice in the gov-i-rotnent of' their own affairs.' A GEEAT WRONG. Mr. E..J;'Howard (Laboui-, Christphurch South) supported Mr. Holland's {remarks as to bad administration of Stew Zealand. in. Samoa, and said he fcpuld not understand why such eondi;{;johs werevtolerated. A great wrong j^as being' d_6ne''to tho Samoan people. $$&& Zealand, was^ committed to the payment -of ■ fiIOiOOO a year for the jyrongs done, by a few officials in. past W.eajß, and he: predicted that in years •jfco come similaT compensation would be paid in respect of wrongs committed gfi Western.Samoa.' He predicted that fn the long run the Samoan people *ss<Hild win.; V He argued that the Americans 9 jpould soon force the hands of New •j1 Zealand •• in - the matter of self-' [■government. r _ Konga, had progressed ivonderfully self-government, and the Samoan {people were equal if not superior to :the Tongans. ■ ~ ; A BAD EFFECT. ffihe Minister of Defence (the Hon. %, G. Odbbe) said he1 did uot think the previous.speakors understood what the «ffeet of their remarks would be when jhey reached Samoa. ' Labour voices:- "The old statement." Mr. G.obbe said that he regretted some §d? the remarks. f -> . Mr. Holland: "Tho question 5s /are jßiey\true?" ' ■; ■ ' ■ The .Minister said he held no brief, ?or Colonel Allen, but he pointed out that he 'Was a barrister, a distinguished soldier, and an educated man with a university training, and: Understood the interpretation that may J>e placed on statements he made. The oStncea for which natives had been imprisoned were simply refusal to pay fyxea. There-was no justification for saying that .machine-guns were turned tip. the natives; they wore merely fired gyer the Samoans' beads to frighten mejo. , , Beferring to the Slipper ease, Mr. Efobbe said that Mr. Holland had been tatainfonned as to a, solicitor being obliged to take out a trader's licence. gteps had bone taken to have the Saaioans represented in the Legislative Gpuncil... as an attempt to bring peace

I do hope, •said.the.Minister, that nothing morcwill be said which will do anything to hinder the good work which:, is going on in Samoa. Referring to the question of punishment of natives, he declared that no deportations had taken place in recent months. ONLY ONE WAY. The Minister-went o.u to give his impressions of the visit he paid to Samoa early last year to investigate the riot. He had_, formed..the impression soon, after his'arrival that there •was only one way to settle the trouble. The leaders of the Mau should be called back from the bush and induced to talk things over ia conference. He took steps to get into communication with certain influential half-castes and. an old chief, and he also sought the help of the various missionary societies. Within eight, days ■ arrangements had been made for the leaders of the Mau to come in for the purpose of a conference. Mr. Cobbe said that repeated applications were made that he alone should meet them, but he took up the stand right through that the Administrator was the representative of the New Zealand Government and that he personally could not enter into negotiations unless ho was accompanied by the Administrator. Mr. Cobbe paid a high compliment to London Missionary Society officers and the representatives of the Bonian Catholic Mission for the assistance they had rendered. A certain lawyer in Samoa had used every effort to hinder the Government's endeavours to produce a successful issue from the negotiations. SETTLING DOWN. Quoting the latest information he lad- received from Samoa, the Minister said that matters were settling down, that the Mau people were becoming more contented, and. mixing with those who were not members of the Mail. He felt convinced that if the Samoans were. left alone the position would soon be all right. He hoped nothing would be done to . interfere with them and excite them afresh. Personally, he did not think | a military Administrator was the . best1 thing for Samoa. -It seemed to hinifthat what was wanted was acivil ruler who would 'exercise- firmness, tact, and commonsense. Mr. Holland: "And . knowledge." ■AH that was wanted, continued the Minister, was that the natives should gain confidence in the Administrator, and he believed that then before long Samoa would reflect the greatest possible credit on New Zealand. Mri Eblland: "Are you still trying to collect the arrears of poll tax?" Mr. Cobbe: "No severe measures are being taken." He said that, the Administrator was . doing, his best to promote peace and harmony. MINISTER AND ADMINISTRATOR. Personally, said; Mr. Cobbe, he did not agree with some., of-the-methods that had been adopted by .the Administrator, but they had talked things over and_ he thought the Administrator possibly saw ■ -things now in a different light. Mr. A. M. Samuel (Bef orm, Thames): "You are letting the Administrator1 down." "Oh, no, I am not," Mr. Cobbe replied. "I am upholding him. I consider he is a fine man in many ways, but there is no harm in my saying that he and I did not. agree about; everything. One of the last things I would do would be to let' him down, because I Tecognise that Ms is an extremely difficult position and he has done much to improve the position." Mr. J. M'Combs (Labour, Lyttelton): "Will you allow me to give you the name of an Administrator? " The reply was inaudible. Mr. Cobbe concluded by remarking that the Ad-j ministrator was doing his duty. AN UNWISE STATEMENT. The Hon. W. Downie Stewart (Reform, Dunedin West) said that he did not doubt the sincerity of the Minister, and he knew that when the Minister was in Samoa he had always placed the Administrator first as being a representative of the King, but twice during his speech the Minister had said that he d?d not hold any brief for the Administrator. "'■' : Such a statement was unfortunate, as it'might have a bad effect. Did it mean that the Minister did not have confidence in the Administrator, for if he did he should retire 'him. The Minister had shown tact in, his visit to Samoa, but his statementin 'the House had been an unwise' one. The trouble with the criticism by the Leader of the Labour Party had been that he had. painted everything in the blackest pictures, while to the impartial obsoryer; it was evident that substantial progress had been made. This was shown in the Administrator's report, and in the covering remarks by the Prime Minister. Everyone who had visited Samoa had stated .that conditions were again peaceful, and great credit was due to the tact and ability of the Administrator. The Minister had stated that ho did not believe in: a military Administrator, but Mr. Allen was no more a military man than he (Mr. Stewart) Was; Ho did not have the military outlook, but was simply an Expeditionary 'Force officer, who, like others, had'been called'colonel after the war, \ Unfortunately, the Minister's remarks might becirculated in Samoa. The whole trouble in Samoa had been that statements made in New Zealand had been circulated in Samoa,'and'it was evident that the Leader of the, Labour Party, did not understand the ..psychology of the Samoan people. STIRRING UP TROUBLE. The remarks made by the Labour Party had done more to stir up trouble than anything else, said Mr, Stewart. The Leader of the Labour Party had ignored the fact tkat confidence in fhe Administrator was.bctug restored, j When a. Commission .reported favourably, the Labour Party said.that; evidence had been withheld and that a

wrong inference had been drawn. There was not an agitation for another Commission, and ho had been informed that another Commission would sot tho position in Samoa back another ten years because it would give the natives a chance to go over ■the whole question again. Included among those making the request for another Commission were University professors, but it was doubtful whether one ill twenty of those making the request: had ever been in Samoa. It was asked that this Commission bo set up by tho League of Nations, but if this Commission reported favourably the Labour Party would say that it was biased. Tho reason why the Labour Party adopted this attitude was because it did not.agree that .Now Zealand should' bo' in "Samoa at all. Mr. P. Frascr (Labour, Wellington Central): "What member said that?" . Mr. Stewart; "It wasn't said in this House." Mr. Fraser: 'fWhat membor said it?" , Mr. Stewart: "I will tell the honourable member afterwards, if he wants to know." . ' ■ Mr. Stewart said that it would have been better in the early years of administration in Samoa if New Zealand had procured the services of a member of the British Colonial Service. New Zealanders had the ability and character, but they did not have the experience. He also reiterated a previous statemeat that, a' Chair of Pacific Affairs should be'established in tho University, so that the. problems could bo understood and so that the men going to Samoa in the service of the Government could receive special training. No one was more highly qualified than Mr. Allen to take up the position of Administrator. . Ho was a man of re-' markablo qualities. Mr. Stewart did not know when Mr. Allen's term was xw, or whether he' was. coming home, but he did know that the Samoans looked with1 apprehension to tho time when he would be leaving them. A STRANGE COMMENTARY. Mr. Frascr said it was a strange commentary :on the Minister's statement that a report of-further arrests which had taken place in' Samoa appeared in. the "Evening Post," which had just been brought into the House. He expressed surprise that Mr. Stewart stood for tho umost insincerity in tho administration of Samoa. Surely-Mr. Stewart would not say the Minister, should stand by the Administrator right or wrong. , Mr. Stewart: lfJf it was wrong he ought to have sacked him; if he was right he ought to have supported him." Mr. Fraser said Mr. Stewart was wrong in saying that no member of the Labour Party had ever praised anything had ben done in Samoa. The opinion was expressed by Mr. J. S. Fletcher (Independent, Grey Lynn) that New Zealand's administration in Western Samoa would go down as the blackest blot in its history. There was only one bright spot—when the Minister of Defence went to Samoa to talk peace instead of war. A BRITISH TRIAL. ■ - Mr. W. D. Lysnar (Independent Keforrn, Gisborne) urged the Government to see that no one was punished without a proper British trial. The Minister of Defence: "Every man gets aj fair trial." Mr. Lysnar: "Then you should lay it down in the law." He did not see why the natives should not have their Mail so long as they did not do illegal things. If there was less red tape and more common-sense1 things would be better' in Samoa." 'He urged the Government to repeal the Bill of 1927 and lay ijt down l?y statute that all natives had the right, to a fair trial. Mr. D. Jones (Reform, Mid-Cantci-bury) said he could not see that the existing law-was at tho root- of the ■trouble; in Samba. ;Tliat day's debate would be translated into Samoan and wiisbouiid'to'have ah evil effect upon the natives. "We would do a great deal better in connection with Samoa," ho-said, "if we discussed it in private instead of in .public.'' There were certain people, however, who were doing their best to keep the trouble alive." • LESSONS OF HISTORY. The Minister of Native Affairs (the Hon. Sir Apirana Ngata) said.that the Maoris' sympathies naturally were with the Sampans.. Tthis was, not the .first occasion in which Europeans were endeavouring to administer a Polynesian group. It would have been easy to have applied the lessons of history in New Zealand to Samba. Heading the names of Ministers and Administrators of Samoa one read the names of some of the biggest men in New Zealand's history in recent years. Many of them had a keen knowledge of the Polynesian mind. Why was it, then, that there was still trouble in Samoa? In his opinion the trouble was beyond the discussions .that had taken place in the House. The difficulty in the first place was that law with regard to Samoa was promoted by the New Zealand adr ministrators, which they.. imagined would bo 'applicable to Samoan conditions before they studied the conditions at all. When the Samoans had boon brought to New Zealand for not paying taxes, the Maoris wondered .'why the Maoris who had not paid rates had nqt been put in gaol also. The difference was due to the-mental attitude of the Pakeha towards the Maoris and towards the latest Polynesian race that had come under their administration. The sympathy of the Maoris was with the Samoans, and the whole world could know it, but at the same time the law and order put upon the Samoans by a British Government had to be maintained. AN OLD STORY. It was tho old story of the culture of the Pakeha being placed upon, a people who did not appreciate that it was for their own good. The success of the British race had not been the success of its laws, but had been won by those administering them. In most cases the Administrator had been a law unto himself. The history of India was full of incidents illustrating this, and so was the history of New Zealand. He could name several members of the House who would make successful Administrators of Samoa, and he made this statement in all seriousness. The Administrator would not need to have a special knowledge of tho Maori. Ho did not know the present Administrator, but there was.no .doubt.that he had taken office in extremely difficult, circumstances. Tho incident of 28th December, 1928, was a most unfortunate one, but similar incidents had occurred in New Zealand. Tho Waitara war was one. Mr. Howard: "We are paying £5000 a year for that now." A BELATED TAX. ■ Sir Apirana: "Quite so, and it is a belated tax. Mistakes have been made and will continue to be made. Sometimes wise men had been hasty, and sometimes, although one did not like to say it, they had had axes to grind. He did not think anyone would say that the Samoans had been deliberately murdered. His name had been mentioned in connection with the Administration of Samoa, but he would take up the same attitude as Sir Mani Poniarc had done. It was a matter of attuning the mentality of tho British, exemplified in New Zealand, to the mentality of the Polynesian as exemplified in the Samoan. That was a job for the Pakeha. The Maoris would tender.advice if asked, but at tho present time tho Pakeha was bent on maintaining the law and hoped as time'went on .the position would settle down. . There would come a time when, the laws would Ibo overhauled.