FORMER GERMAN COLONIES

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 18 June 1926, Page 5

FORMER GERMAN COLONIES

PLEA FOR THEIR RETURN 'ESSENTIALLY CLUMSY CASE" (By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) (Sun Cable.) ' LONDON, June 16. "A painstaking but essentially clumsy case for the return of German colonies is made," says the Reviewer, "by Dr. Sclmee in a book "German Colonisation Past and Future." It is only worthy of notice because Dr. Sclmee was successively magistrate at New Guinea, deputy Governor of Samoa and Governor of East Africa. He might be forgiven bias if it bad not led to mischevious distortion of evidence when he seeks to prove incapacity and even cruelty of the present Mandatory Powers. Amid asUmishing indictments of British rule lie gravely asks whether the unhappy people of ex-German protectorates shall continue to be exposed to decimation by the plagues and diseases with which the British, French and Belgians are unable to cope." The Reviewer adds: "It is time such gross insinuations were refuted. Perhaps Dr. Sclmee would be reluctant to admit under the administration of Australian doctors that some tropical ex-German colonies had been virtually cleared of malaria. Dr. Sclmee adopts a curious reasoning that natives of ex-colonies, including New Guinea, when they affirm loyalty to Germany, speak from the bottom of their heart, but when they declare preference for British rule they have been bribed and bullied by cunning officials."