LIEUT. CRAMPTON'S RECORD

New Zealand Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17032, 13 December 1918, Page 8

LIEUT. CRAMPTON'S RECORD

SAMOA CHARGE EXPLAINED. [by . TELEGRAPH.—OWJf CORRESPONDENT.; WANGAKUI. Thursday. I An explanation was given to-day b Lieutenant Crarapton regarding statement made in Parliament in reference to In appointment to the charge of the Wang£ nui detention barracks. Lieutenant Cramptou eaid he was at Jointed to Samoa as Provost-Morshai udge of the Native Courts, and Secretar; of Native Affairs, and later as Inspectoi General of Police and Prisons, by virtu of which he was also a magistrate in th German Courts. He found that house of ill-fame wore seriously affecting th health of the troops and of the eivi population, while the German element .01 tho island was Ignoring the rules ant regulations issued proclamation, ant generally was doing as it liked. Tin stand that he took was to clean th& islam of both theso evils by the internment o: Germans who disobeyed the regulations and by suppressing the houses of ill-fault and deporting the occupants to anotbei island. The one duty came under his military rank, and tho other under hi: civil capacity. In performing many oi these duties ho had to carry out worn which in. New Zealand was performed by a constable, as the staff of the civi police was mainly composed of natives who, in the performance of the duties In had undertaken, were of little use. The carrying out of these two tasks, said Lieutenant Cramp ton, earned for him , the extreme hatred of the German elei ment, strongly supported by their Bympa< thisers, who were many, and some in influential positions. From tho first, he had a stiff uphill fight. He was informed, in ! their usual secretive method, that if lie came up against a certain organisa(tion it would have him out of the country within a month. The assault | on a woman to which reference was made I occurred during " his investigation of a brutal assault on a- girl committed by the woman with a knife. She was defying all authority, and was trying to put him off the premises, and it was only to avoid contact with her that ho put out his walking stick, which is technically an assault. He had no doubt this woman was a paid agent of the Germans and their sympathisers. The incident provided an opening for them to put into operation the schemes against himself and they took full advantage of it. The. court-martial was brought about on his own application, and the result was a reprimand for a technical assault. Lieut. Crampton added that the facts that ho was retained in the service of the Defence Department, and upon his return to New Zealand was given important positions, showed that the authorities did not regard the charges made against him in Samoa as being serious.