SAMOA TROUBLE

Evening Star, Issue 20556, 7 August 1930, Page 3

SAMOA TROUBLE

BATTLESHIPS V. BANANAS MATAURA MEMBER'S PICTURE [From Our Parliamentary Reporter.] WELLINGTON, August 6. The Reform Government sent men down to Samoa with a shooting iron in each hand and a sword trailing on the ground, and all the poor native had to defend himself with was a banana,” declared Mr M‘Dougall (Matanra) in the House to-night, when referring to the subject of the Mandated Territory. He aclded that a battleship with an admiral and a colonel aboard was also sent down to frighten the poor old Samoans because they would not pay the poll tax. “ But,” interjected Mr Holland (Leader of the Labour Party), “have you forgotten the fatal riots of December last?” Ignoring the interruption, Mr M'Dougall said the Reform Government, had declared: ‘‘ We will make them stand up; if one battleship will not do we will send two.” They called for volunteers to go to Satnoa, and hundreds enlisted. Armed with implements of destruction they chased the natives into the bush, and behaved in such a way that, on reading the accounts, he had often wished that those tactics had boon attempted in Ireland. In that country men knew_ how to use a gun, and the same policy could not have been carried out. All the Samoan had to defend himself with was a banana. Mr Coates: Who was Prime Minister at the time?

Tho question was not answered by Mr M'Dougall, wlio wound up with tho statement that he did not Know how Mr Coates “would bo able _to face the bar when the Angel Gabriel comes over tho hill, and he has to give an account of his actions.” Mr Macmillan (Tanranga), the next speaker, said that Mr M'Dougall had worked himself up considerably . Mr M'Dougall: There is no danger of your doing that. Mr Speaker: Order, order. “ Surely the member for Mataura has been asleep for the last eighteen or twe«nty months,” continued Mr Macmillan. “ All the things he has referred to were done by his own party.” (Loud Reform “Hear, nears.”) I noticed that the Leader of tho Labour Party several times attempted to interject and draw Mr M'Dongall’s attention to that fact. Mr Parry (Auckland) : That does not excuse the Reform Party for what it has done.

Mr Macmillan: These things were done by tho United Party, and by his votes in this House Mr M‘Dnugall_ endorses as right and proper the things ho condemns, because his party did them.”