SAMOAN REQUESTS

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 10659, 4 August 1920, Page 5

SAMOAN REQUESTS

LABOUR ALLEGATION AND MINISTERIAL DENIAL. During the discussion on the question of continuing indentured labour in Samoa, it was alleged by all the official Labour members who spoke that one request in the petition put before the Parliamentary party at the meeting with the Faipules on tho first day of the visit had been eliminated. Tho suggestion was that all the natives approached privately had mentioned that their moat important request was for the cessation of indentured labour in the group, but there is no reference to this subject in the twenty-seven requests put bofore the New Zealand legislators. As this allegation was not referred to by Government members who. spoke during Friday night's debate, a "Times" representative interviewed the Hon. E. P. Lee, Minister for External Affairs, to ascertain his view of the matter. The Minister flatly denied that there had been any elimination of requests from the petition. In proof, he produced tho original petition signed by the various chiefs, who also appended their signatures to a translation. In each case it was evident that the documents had not been altered, and that the English translation had been reproduced exactly in the original form in the printed report of the Island visit .which was presented to tho Houso. The requests had apparently been framed at a conference of the Faipules lasting from February 25th to February 28th. ,They were set forth in tho. form of a petition ,and signed by 32 people. Tho Parliamentary party received them on March Sth, the first day of tho visit.