CRISIS IN SAMOA

Otago Witness, Issue 3862, 20 March 1928, Page 25

CRISIS IN SAMOA

MAU’S DEFIANT ATTITUDE

alleged cause of the trouble.

AUCKLAND, March 13.

The following coded wireless message wag received last night from Apia, and is published by the Herald: — The recent attempt of the police, assisted by the marines, to arrest Tamasese, who is now the local recognised head of the Mau, for breach of the laws, failed. The members of the. Mau who were imprisoned at- Lulinuu, walked past the naval guard at will, and defied them to shoot. These incidents have convinced the Mau that the navy is forbidden to use force, and the cruisers are freely referred to as “ scarecrows.” The maintenance of law and order is very doubtful. The natives are becoming increasingly insubordinate. White women are no longer immune from interference and insult in broad daylight on the main road and on the beach, which is under the cruisers’ guns. Many Europeans are armed, and plans have been made to ensure the protection which the warships are apparently unable to give. The loyal natives are very dissatisfied. They say the Government talks, but fails to act, and are openly planning to attack the Mau.

The general opinion is that the present situation is not attributable to the depor tations, but largely to speeches which were made by Mr H. E. Holland, and circulated freely m the Samoan language; These have led to the Mau to believe that they have the backing Qf a majority of the New Zealand public. Dozens of copies of Mr Holland’s pamphlet were distributed by this mail among half-castes and natives, and the influence of this, joined with the inaction of the warships, has had a tremendously bad effect. Every day of delay under pre sent conditions increases the danger to the lives of whites and natives.

Europeans look to the public to force Cabinet to give the Administrator a free hand to use such force as is necessary to break up the Mau and adequately protect life • also to bring home to Mr Holland that be is endangering the lives of his countrymen by his support of the Mau and its leaders.

The commission’s report quotes the evidence of a Tamasese, who was the successor to a kingly title, to the effect that the Mau desired that Samoa should be governed bv Samoans, under the protection of the British flag. Tamasese was reported last week as making the same demand on behalf of 200 of the Mau police before they were released.

STATEMENT BY MR GURR.

EUROPEANS NOT IN DANGER

AUCKLAND, March 13.

“ The whole thing savours of administrative propaganda,” said Mr E. W Gurr (who was deported along with Messrs Nelson and Smyth) this morning, in referring to the report published in regard to conditions in Samoa, where he lived for close on 50 years. “ It has been made to appear that a Tamasese has been put forward as head of the Mau. The name has been mentioned to endeavour to make local con ditions appear disturbed, as an attempt to restore the kingship, as Tamasese is a descendant of a former king of Samoa, and no chief is entitled to .use the name of Tamasese at the present time. The last chief who held the title was deprived of it bv order of the Administrator in 1924, and it has not been restored.”

Regarding the report that the loyal natives were openlv planning to attack the Mau. the so-called loval section consisted of the faipules and thei- families, whose number 6 were small compared with the great number in the Mau. They would join the Mau but for the fact that they were restrained by the Administrator.

“ Europeans, sn long as they take no part in the present strife between the Mau and the Administration, have nothing to fear.” proceeded Mr Gurr. ** The suggestion that white women are no longer immune from interference and insult is ■ a false charge against the wellknown courtesy and noliteness of the Samoan people. The chiefs, who control the young men. would always bike care that no white woman was insulted or molested.” ■. MR HOLLAND’S DEFENCE. “CLUMSY fOLITTCAL PRORA■v GANDA’.’ , WESTPORT, March 13. Referring to- fb e message from Auckland. Mr Ml E Holland, in the course of a lengthy statement, said it was clear that it constituted a piece of clumsy and most dishonest political propaganda The statement that the present situation was due to his pamnhlet and sneeches was too silly to be taken seriously. General Sir George Richardson had long since forbidden his ennonents to publish any matter in the Samoan language and consequently it was hard to understand how anyone’s speeches could go nut in native print: hut. in any case, everyone with any knowledge of recent Samoan • history was well aware that the banishments without , trial of Samoan chiefs and other natives and the deportations-nf European® and of Mr Nelson had incensed the natives and created that situation which left us with a people in revolt against our me ■ pf injustice. A rctnrn to methods based on conciliation and, (he .pptntnop principles of British justice would sneedilv Itstore Samoa to normal conditions, and

if he were, in the Prime Minister’s place he would proceed to Samoa by th e first available boat and would meet the Samoan people on thig basis. One thing was certain : we could never hope by methods of force, to subdue the natives of Samoa. Our main task now was by processes of common-sense to undo the harm which had grown out of our attempt at an administrative despotism. As to that portion of the radio which referred to his pamphlet, Mr Holland said that the last page of the pamphlet contained an appeal to the Samoans to refrain from methods of violence and to rely on constitutional methods for redress of their grievances. Regarding the demand for the right to use the warships’ guns on the natives. Mr Holland said that most people would endorse Sir Mau Pomare’s protest made in the House, that no drop of Samoan blood must be shed. He was confident that the whole matter could be settled without any recourse to force whatever.

An amazing thing in connection with this attack on himself, said Mr Holland, was the fact that no coded message wan permitted to come through from Samoa until it had been decoded and approved by the Administrator. Therefore, this message had come through after havin'’ been submitted to the Administrator, and the fact raised the constitutional question of the extent to which the Government w-as entitled to participate in the making of po.itical and persona] attacks on people opposed to it. Any public servant who took sides against the Government would be threatened with immediate dismissal.

GRAVE CRISIS MAY DEVELOP.

THREAT DY LOYAL SAMOANS.

. APIA, March 12. The present seno-farcieal position in Samoa may soon develop into a grave crisis, as the loyal Samoans threaten to take effective action after the failure of the Administration and the warships to arrest Tamasese and other Jefiant Samoans who are disturbing the peace and reiterating their demands that Samoans should govern Samoa. This, coupled with the inability of the warship forces to detain the prisoners at Mnlinuu and effectively protect the Administration and the police endeavouring to make arrests of rebels, is arousing the passions of the people of Malietoa, the former King, who say: “ Let us fix these disturbers of Samoa’s peace.”

MEMBERS OF MAU DISPERSING.

THE COMMITTEE REMAINS. APIA, March 14. Apia is quiet to-day. Large numbers of the Mau appear to be dispersing, probably partly on account of the difficulty of feeding such large numbers, but the Mau Committee remains in town.

The loyal natives around the town are becoming very aggressive, but the dispersal of the Mau should assist in avoidin'’ a clash for the present. °

MR NELSON’S PARTING SHOT.

SERIOUS TROUBLE PROPHESIED. AUCKLAND, March 16. The present tension in Samoa cannot go on. Something must give and when that happens there will be trouble.

This was the parting observation of Mr O. F. Nelson, who left by the Maungarui to-day for Sydney. He will leave fcr San Francisco by the Sierra o.i March 31, and he expected while in Europe to present his case before the League of Nations Council at Geneva early in May.

Mr E. W. Gurr, who, like Mr Nelson, was deported for five years, is leaving shortly for North Auckland, where he will reside with his brother.

WOMEN NOT IN DANGER.

VIEW OF FORMER ADMINSTRATOR.

AUCKLAND, March Iff.

“If my wife was in Apia or in the backblocks of Samoa I would not experience the slightest anxiety for her safety." This is the opinion which Colonel R. Logan, former Administrator of Samoa, who is now visiting Auckland, entertains of the Samoan people. “The Samoans are gentlemen straight out,” the colonel said this morning, “ and I notice with great regret that there has been some concern expressed about the safety ot white women in the islands.” Colonel Logan, who arrived s n New Zealand from England on "Monday last, would not discuss the present trouble at the mandated territory because he had not been in touch with the situation since he relinquished the position of Administrator in 1919. He is in New Zealand to transact private business, and will visit his farm at Bucklands. After that he will jreturn to Devonshire, where he has lived for the past eight years.

NO DANGER AT PRESENT.

STATEMENT BY PRIME MINISTER.

WELLINGTON, March 17. A meeting of Cabinet was held to-day, and it is understood that members had under consideration reports by the Administrator and officials who returned recently from Samoa. The position in Samoa was discussed, and - later.»the Prime Minister (Mr J. G. Coates) made the following statement i— •

While the Government is not yet able to make a full statement as to the position of affairs in Samoa and as to its immediate intentions, I wish the public of New Zealand to understand that the alarmist reports that have been recently circulated from unofficial sources in Samoa are greatly exagger rated. My information i s that notwithstanding the activities of the Mau there does not appear to be any present dan ger of a breach of the peace in Samoa. Provocative and ill-informed comments on the position are not. of course, helpful in maintaining peace, but lives and property i n Samoa are to-day not in jeopardy. The large numbers of Mau adherents who had gathered in Apia have now dispersed to their homes, and while I do not wish to be understood as implying that the position in Samoa is yet satisfactory or that the law is being complied with, 1 can see no reason why, in the absence of mischievous interference, any breach of the peace should occur. As soon as the Government is in a position to do .so it will make a detailed announcement of anv action it may decide to take.

LAW AGAINST LAWLESSNESS.

ADMINISTRATION MADE NONEFFECTIVE.

“It would be the greatest mistake in tile world to allow General Sir George Richardson to withdraw from Samoa at the present juncture. He should bo given more power and kept there, for if any man is able to cope with the present crisis and evolve order out of chaos, it is he.” declared a visitor from Samoa in the course of conversation with a Daily Times reporter last evening. This gentleman who has resided m Samoa for many years, has studied and has come to understand the natives; and he has also followed with keen interest the chain of events which has led up to the present unfortunate position. Until October, 1926, he said, there was absolutely no dissatisfaction in Samoa, and General Richardson was by every means the most popular man in the group. The natives looked on him as a helper, guide, and counsellor He was encouraging them to help and govern themselves, and training them mentally and economically Many of the reforms ho had introduced, which the Samoans had adopted enthusiastically, could not but have been for the betterment of the race as a whole, including as they did, among Other things, the proper sanitation of villages, child welfare, and organised work in the plantations, but now, just as he had begun to see his work and teaching bear fruit, nad come a purposeless and unwarranted upheaval which threatened to leave Samoa in a more disturbed state than evet.

It was near the end of 1926 when the Government began to experiment in the marketing of copra and agreed to accept copra as payment for taxes. In this, the •filerchants .-vid trading concerns saw, or imagined they saw. the beginning of a campaign which would interfere seriously with their golden harvest, and this was undoubtedly the root of the whole trouble. Prohibition had certainly caused some dissension. as the popular idea was that there should lie one law for everyone. As things stood, Europeans could obtain liquor on a permit, a rule which did not fit in with the views of a certain section of the population. This, however, had nothing to' do with the administration . Mr O F. Nelson, the wealthiest and most influential trader in the group, was a clever man, almost a genius in fact. He knew the natives, and he was quick to turn to his own account the fact that certain of the Samoan chiefs were jealous of others who had been appointed faipules by the Administrator.

Unfortunately the Administration was not empowered to punish, with the' result that quite 75 per cent, of the natives have now joined, this movement. Certainly. the majority of them do not. know why they had joined the Mau, but it was safe to say that many of them had been attracted by the thought of a little additional excitement. There was absolutely nothing to warrant the present crisis, as conditions at the present time were the same as they had always been. What had further incited the natives and helped to bring them to their present insubordinate state were the utterances of Mr Holland in regard to the situation. In Samoa at'present, “ Holani,” as he was known to the Samoans, was looked on as a species of deity, and they all firmly believed that in the course of a few months he would become Prime Minister and so be in the position to give them all they wanted. The members of the Citizens’ Committee. continued the speaker, were championing Samoa by opposing her best friends.® They were blaming General Richardson when, if they would only realise it, he was-working solely in their interests. He was the victim of intrigue, and yet was without the power to kill such intrigue in its initial -stages by punishing the plotters summarily. New Zealand was by no means justified, after haring accepted the mandate over Samoa, in supporting the Administrator so weakly. He had done what few other men could do, and now that his administration had been made practically noneffective, the situation had become more than a matter of politics—it had become purly and simply law against lawlessness. General Richardson, from his boyhood upwards, had served his country faithfully and well, and did veoman service during the Great War. Messrs Gurr and Nelson and their supporters could hardly say that service to their country, or to anyone hut themselves, had come into their calculations. “The Samoans,” concluded the visitor, “will regret the day. they turned against General Richardson.”