POSITION IN SAMOA.

Grey River Argus, 21 June 1927, Page 5

POSITION IN SAMOA.

IS IT DICTATORSHIP? Mr Holland’s Reply to Mr Nosworthy. Mr H. E. Holland, M.P., Leader of the Opposition, arrived in Greymouth last evening on his way to Wellington for the Session’s opening. Speaking with reference to Mr Nosvjorthy’s statement made at Suva affecting Samoa, Air Holland said the Samoan position was altogether unsatisfactory, and would have to be seriously discussed by Parliament. It seemed to him that in our administration we were copying some of the worst features of the German pre-war control. Parliamentary representation of both the Samoans afld the whites was rendered farcical by reason of the fact that in the former ease the Faipules were appointed by the Administration and in the latter case the electoral qualification was on a property and income basis. Mr Nosworthy had omitted to mention that leading members of the deputation referred to by himself as agitators were members of the Legisla live Council, elected by the white population with substantial majorities over the Government candidates, notwithstanding that all the dice were loaded in favour of the latter. Air Nelson, stigmatised by Air Nosworthy, was the senior Legislative Councillor, and, so far as he (Air Holland) knew, was born in Samoa. Th’e making of an Order? in-Council empowering the Administrator to order a native-born citizen or a naturalised subject to leave Samoa because he persisted in- opposing the Government’s policy there was an outrage which could not be permitted t<? go unchallenged. Air Nosworthy’s attack on those who sought to make constitution changes was strangely similar to some of the attacks on Robert Louis Stevenson when he was engaged in demanding justice for • Samoa and th? Samoans some forty years ago.