EVENTS IN SAMOA

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16580, 22 February 1928, Page 5

EVENTS IN SAMOA

MR. NELSON’S OFFER

PRIME MINISTER’S VIEWS

(Eei Press Association.) WELLINGTON, last night

Tn connection with Mr. 0. F. Nelson’s statement of a proffer of help regarding the Samoan situation, llie Prime Minister, Mr. J. G. Contes, now makes the following statement': “H is a. matter for regret,” -he said, ‘•’that Mr. Nelson’s proffered good offices were not available many months ago. T have received no communication from him regarding recent events in Samoa.”

SUPPLIES FOR WARSHIPS

AUCKLAND, last night

An exp ('.(‘ted departure- from Auckland at art early date is the Admiralty oil tanker Nucula for Samoa. In addition to having a la/go quantity of oil fuel for the cruisers Dunedin and Diomede, the Nucula is also loading stores to take to Samoa for' the two warships. The tanker is berthed at flio sheeriegs wharf, Devonport, and, on Thursday, the vessel will sign on her crew and later she will take her departure. S COMMISSION’S REPORT MR. HOLLAND’S CRITICISM AUCKLAND, last night. "The more I study the report, of the Loyal Commission which visited Samoa, the more I am convinced that it. is a worthless exposition of the situation there,” said Mr. H. E. Holland, Leader of the Opposition, in an address in the Trades Hall. For over ' two hours Mr. Holland declaimed on the politics of the mandated territory and he declared that the only course open to New Zealand was to return the mandate to the League of ! Nations, restore the deported Europeans and banished natives to their homes, and, above all, recall the Ad- . ministrator, Sic George Richardson, i at the earliest possible moment. He was listened to with close attention , by a large audience of members of the i Labor movement, and, at the close of : his address, he was accorded a hearty vote of thanks. 1 Mr. Holland declared that the Samoan Amendment Act had been forced through the House of Representatives last session by the Govern- [ ment, when it had found that the threats of deportation which had been made previously were unconstitutional. There was not a line in the Royal Commission’s report which would bring any man in Samoa within reach of the law. The Commission had been given a copy of the evidence tendered before the Parliamentary Committee, but it had rejected the evidence on the ground that most of it was hearsay. On the contrary, Mr. Holland said .that most, of the evidence ffiven before the

committee by Mr. Nelson .was direct evidence, while that given by General Richardson before the Commission was mostly hearsay. Dealing with the evidence and the Commission’s report, Mr. Holland said that only excerpts were given of General Richardson’s tribute to -Mr.. Nelson, but all of Mr. Nelson’s tributes to the Administrator were published. As one read the report,, it became more clear that the only offence that could be charged against, the Samoans was that they wanted selfgovernment. It had been said that the natives were refusing to collect beetles, but the fact was that they were collecting beetles and were handing them into the Mau instead of to the Administration officials. The report was silent on the comments which were made by the Administrator on cases which were sub judice. No reference was made in it to actions of the Chief Justice, who had been lined for insulting two native chiefs, and no mention was made of two cases of Government officials who had committed offences against young natives. General Richardson was quoted as having told the Commission that, at the time he made the complaints, he could not have cited a specific charge which would have justified the appearance of any man before the courts under the immigration ordinances. Referring to the -latest, developments and the attempt by the Administration to obtain a meeting with ■the committee of the Mau, Mr. Holland said the meeting could have been held long ago if a conciliatory spirit had been shown. He said the natives were entitled to a greater measure of self government than they were being given.