NEW YEAR ISSUE

NZ Truth, Issue 1306, 22 December 1930, Page 1

NEW YEAR ISSUE

Notice To Readers and Agents of Altered Publishing Date "MZ. TRUTH'S" issue of January I— next week's • issue — will be on sale earlier than usual, and readers and agents are requested to note the altered publishing date. ■"■>..'■ In the South Island the paper will be on sale everywhere on Tuesday, December 30, while m the North Island: it will be on sale on Wednesday, December 31. A feature of the issue will be the complete reviews of the Christmas racing and the prospective matter covering the New Year fixtures. Make sure of obtaining your copy, whether at home or away on holidays, by booking at the nearest agent.

ing to visiting white officials, says Mr.-Jlowe, changed entirely, and several other cases of banishment followed. ■ • General Richardson then commenced "to legislate" — to throw himself into movements and innovations of eyery description; 'and generally, to launch an assault on the native social system. . ■ i Illegal and unaccustomed power was vested m the Faipule Fono — those natives who constitute a council of advisers to the Administrator — and, to quote the book again; "From the time that the Faipules illegally commenced to legislate, m. the middle, of 1924, a regular, land-slide set m." Self-elected village committees were set up, and these immediately commenced to abuse their power, . Fines were .levied for tbe .most preposterous reasons, while no check was kept on the expenditure of the proceeds. If the statements m "Samoa under the Sailing Gods" are to be believed, every department, of the. Administrar tion was mismanaged — the whole ' morale would appear to have been undermined. . . . Ignorant officials were allowed to meddle m the matter of copra growing, making unnecessary and absurb regulations, which caused great annoyance and inconvenience ' to the traders. The young men and women were sent to sit m school for four days.f.a week to learn a few words of pidgin English. These natives would otherwise have been at work. in. the..plantations, and as a consequence, this has resulted m the copra being neglected

Mr. E. W. Gm«r, ex- Judge; and Mr. A. G. Smyth, for their activities m connection with Mau movement. And so the story of unrest and discontent and injustice goes on and on! The feelings of the Samoans trampled roughshod underfoot; intimidation of the Mau by the appearance of the warships "Diomede" and " "Dunedin"; the ] imprisonment of hundreds of its members! - Towards the end of April, 1928, Sir George Richardson sailed from New Zealand to represent the Mandatory Power at the Geneva gathering of ( thePermanent ■ Mandates Commission. The same boat carried also a petition to the League of Nations, , bearing 8,000 signatures, or 93 per cent, of the Samoan taxpayers, protesting agrainst the New. Zealand administration. Mr. Nelson also went to Geneva, but was refused audience by members of the Mandates Commission. In May, 1928, Colonel Stephen Allen was appointed Administrator of West- ! em Samoa. [ ' There appears to have been a lull m the storm for a period, and during the" new Administrator's first year of office, the native poll-tax was abolished and the medical -tax compounded. An extra 10/- per ton, however, was placed on copra export duty. The •Fono of Faipules was disbanded. Just when things appeared to be settling down somewhat, the country was thrown into a tumult by the sudden arrest of Tamasese. This was covered by two mounted