PETITION BY GAMOANS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17140, 21 April 1919, Page 6

PETITION BY GAMOANS.

INFLUENZA EPIDEMIC.

QUESTION OF MANDATORY. | SUBSEQUENT WITHDRAWAL, j An oScial statement has been issued by' Colonel R. W. Tate, acting-administrator j of Samoa, regarding a petition presented to him by native Samoans and its subse- . quent withdrawal The statement is as ; follows:— . 1 "On January 27 I was invited by my' j native advisers to attend two taalolos, 1 j which were to be held at Mulinu'u on the i following day, January £8, as a ceremony ' of welcome to me, and after the taalolos ' a meeting with me was requested. At • tho meeting, which was held at the Fono : House at Mulinu'u, a wetitiop was pre- j sejit«d to m. The petition as originally 5 drafted contained ten paragraphs, and its' subject matter may be grouped into three ' requests: First, a request that Colonel ? Logan should be removed as administrator, 1 for reasons connected with the introdac- •' tion of influenza innto Samoa; secondly. » * request that a census should bo taken of ' the orphans, and provision made for them; J thirdly, 9 request that Samoa should be ; turned over ttf the United States, but if 1 this were not granted, and if the Powers 11 . decidod 011 British administration, that Samoa should be administered by the Colonial Office and on no account by the Government of New Zealand. A further representation waß made as to the expenses oi the Australian medical force. "There were present at the meeting my two native advisers, Malietoa Tann and Tuimaleatiifano), certain officials of tho administration, and about 126 chiefs from various parts of Western Samoa. The petition was presented by Toleafoa, and while presenting it he desired to amend j paragraph 9 so as to delete the-request for; American rule. I asked for a written | draft of the substituted paragraph, and on receiving the draft had it read over to the assembly, when it was unanimously approved. The petition was accordingly amended, and on presentation its effect was that it contained the three requests mentioned above, but with the request for American rule cut out. " On February 11 a rcmieat was received | for a meeting with mv native advisers and Toleafoa, upon a subject undisclosed. An appointment was made fori the 15th, and on that date my two native I 'advisers, representing the native people, and Toleafoa, representing the petitioners, appeared before me ana requested that the whole petition should be withdrawn and that tho incident should be closed. I agreed to accept the withdrawal of tho petition, and to regard the incident as I closed so far as the Samoans were con-1 cerned; but I intimated that so far as' white people were concerned tho incident wonld not necessarily be closed, as the Government of New Zealand would not readily forgivo any person who had committed wrong concerning, the introduction of. influenza ipto Samoa. Tho present position is that there is now no petition, the petition formerly existing having been completely withdrawn." Colonel Tate adds that no protests against the withdrawal of the petition have been received. On the other hand, numerous protests were received as to the petition itself. " I may say," ho concludes, " that consideration had been given to the question of tho orphans before the petition was presented, and that as to the introduction of tho influenza epi demic, I havo no doubt that the Government of New Zealand will seo that any responsibilities are placed upon the proper jKnnMnrg M