VISIT TO SAMOA

Greymouth Evening Star, 29 June 1921, Page 6

VISIT TO SAMOA

HON. E. I'. LEE'S MISSION

Hie Hon. E P. Lee (Minister for External Affairs) left Auckland on Saturday for Western Samoa. The Minister was accompanied on his visit by Mrs. Lee, Mr. E. N. C. Poulton, his private secretary, and Mr. J. D. Gray, secretary to the External Affairs Department. The itinerary of the trip is as follows:- —Arrive Suva, on the 29th inst., Nukualofa July 3rd, Haapai July sth, Vavau July 6th, and Apia July 7th. Mr. Lee hopes to be able to spend about a fortnight in Apia conferring with the Samoan Administrator, the officers of tho Administration, the native chiefs, and representatives of the European population resident in the island Interviewed by a “New Zealand Times” representative prior to his departure, Mr. Lee said his visit to Samoa was due to an undertaking arrived at during the Parliamentary 1 session last year, that the Right Hou. Mr. Massey and he would go to Samoa in tho recess to deal with a number of matters affecting the carrying out of the mandate for the Government of the island by New Zealand. ‘‘Unfortunately,” said Mr. Lei 1 , “Mr .Massey, having to leave for the Imperial Conference in I.ondoq, was prevented from making the visit to Samoa ; but ho will probably do so on his return when opportunity offers. Consequently the Government decided that, as Minister for External Affairs, I should go. Since tho visit of the Parliamentary party, maaiy matters requiring attention have arisen; and the main object of my visit is to go into these and the whole condition of affairs existing at tho island, and to deal with some problems which it may be possible to satisfactorily settle on the spot. “I will return to New Zealand by way of Sydney, where it is proposed that I should confer with a. member of the Federal Government, who is in charge of tho department which administers tho mandate over German New Guinea. Another factor which has influenced my going io Sydney is that it will enable ine to return 10910 quickly to New Zealand than I would otherwise be able to do were I to wait for the regular island steamer.