MAU'S LAST BID.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20518, 20 March 1930, Page 13

MAU'S LAST BID.

MR. ALLEN'S AUTHORITY.

QUESTION BY FAUMUINA.

SAMOAN FONO REFUSED.

[SPECIAL- representative.]

The fifth and last fono opened at Vaimoso at 830 a.m. on Friday. Then for the first time the voice of young Tamasese was heard, but not in a speech. He simply rrad a statement of 17 points which was published yesterday. Part of it shows clear indications of the European hand. Translated copies were handed to the Administrator and the Hon. J. G. Cobbe, who read them. Then Mr. Allen delivered his final speech, published yesterday, which will become a historical document, for in masterly manner, it reviews the whole political situation and exposes the fallacies upon which the Mau movement has been organised and stimulated.

The chief point of tho speech in its bearing upon the immediate situation was the offer to call a fono representative of the whole of the people of Samoa. This Faumuina declined to accept on behalf of the Mau.

"Samoa is the Mau," he declared. He said that some of the men to be arrested were the leaders of the Mau, and with them in prison and the Mau dispersed, which was the Administration order, how could the Mau discuss the questions T "Put before us plainly and tell us exactly whether you have the full power to settle and redress our grievances and troubles," he said. "You have charged us and blamed us, but how about you ? You have not treated us properly. Some of us were killed, and thtft caused us more dissatisfaction. With regard to the proposed fono, our request is that the fono should be held between Your Excellency and the Mau alone. Do not make us join together with those' Samoans who have supported you, because, we have not yet got what will satisfy us. Those sections of the Samoans who are not with us are quite satisfied with you but we, the Mau, are not satisfied with you, with anything. This is' our reply this morning to your remarks.—Soifua."

Minister Silent. On this occasion the Hon. J. G. Cobbe did not speak. The time had arrived when the refusal of the Mau to end its existence and its members to disperse made it impossible to continue the fono and the truce which had lasted a week. Mr. Allen simply said: —"I think there is nothing more to be said this morning. We will stand by what we have already arranged—the giving up of the 'wanted' men. I am sorry to know that those who have broken the law are among your principal leaders. No doubt you will arrange for them to be given up straight away. You will require a little further time to disperse. We fixed originally for the truce to end at eight o'clock this morning. We will now make it eight o'clock to-morrow morning. With regard to the proposal I have mado of holding a meeting you will be able to discuss that ,in your own villages and districts and I will keep in touch with such of your leaders as are my neighbours, Tamnsese and Faumuina, if ho is in Lepea, and I trust we will be able to have such a meeting. "If there are any details which you wish to discuss, such as Faumuina has alluded to, we may possibly bo able to arrange for separate meetings but that is a mattqr which 1 can consider in due course. Meanwhile this fono must end." " Mau Will Not Disperse."

With this, the official party commenced to rise to their feet. It was clear that there was consternation among the Mau chiefs at their knowledge that their pretext for extending the fono and the truce had failed. It was well known, of course, that several of the speeches that had been delivered in the fale by Mau leaders had been made partly for the benefit of the surrounding native crowd. It was known that dissensions had occurred in the Mau ranks over the conciliatory tone of Faumina's early speeches, and that Tuimalealiifono's outburst at the close of the fourth fono had been designed to counteract any sense of weakening which at that time might have been indicated. Indeed, there is reason for believing that Faumuina's leadership had been definitely challenged, and that it was quite on the cards that his aged first lieutenant would supersede him. There was thus some reason for Faumuina's final retort. As the official party commenced to rise he declared, in a loud voice, "The Mau will not disperse. They will discuss matters for tho fono, but they will not disperse, and you can do what you wish with the Mau.'"

Mr. Allen: Yes. Well, 1 will rely on. Faumuina to do what has been promised With that the official party left. At two p.m. the Mau promise was fulfilled. Displaying their strong sense for dramatic .effect, all but one of the men for whom warrants had been issued, including some who had avoided or resisted arrest during the past two years, marched in procession from Vaimoso to the police station in Apia with Faumuina at their head.