The Samoa Times. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 9 Presentation to Mr. Moors.

Samoanische Zeitung, Volume 15, Issue 41, 9 October 1915, Page 3

The Samoa Times. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 9 Presentation to Mr. Moors.

An interesting Function tool< place at the Central Office, Court House, Apia, on the morning of Monday last, the l-rli instant, wlieu a presentation was made l>y His Excellency the Administrator to Mr. 11. -T. Moors in recognition of services to the Administration. The ceremony took place in the presence of a number of guests of His Excellency and Mrs. Logan, and the proceedings were of a cordial, and at times almost merry, nature. In making the presentation His Excellency Colonel Logan said : —■ •■ Ladies and Gentlemen,--- " I li iveasked yon to meet Mr. Moors horc to-day to enable me to thank liim publicly for services he has rendered to the Military Administration and to Samoa. Many of you remember that after the last war it was yuii'R before claims were paid, and it occurred to me that it would be well to have claims settled, before all those who came here at the lirst ami know the circumstance'.), left .Samoa, C'oiisoi|Uently I asked that all claims, not only against the Military Occupation but also against the German Government, should be sent in before a certain date. I asked Mr. Moors, as a citizen of a neutral State, lo sit oa the Hoard, and he at oriceconsen ed, telling me at the same time that it was a thankless job, but someone must do it, .Mi'. Loibl represented the Samoau Civil Administration and Major Francis the Military 0 eupying Force, and so we hail throe business men looking into the validity of the claims. Had this Board not been set up there would have been all sorts of claims after the war when there was no one left here to refute them. Now any claim which was not before the Hoard will he looked upon with the very strongest, suspicion. I except, of course, those of the prisoners of war who were sen! to Xew Zealand. The Hoard has done its duty, and it now remains for the residents of Samoa to see that no spurio.is claims got a hearing after the war. The value of the decisions of the Hoard was greatly increased by Mr. Moors recording his dissent when he di agreed with the other members. You may take it that any claim which does not have this d.ssent endorsed was fairly settled. I wish to say to the business men of Samoa that they must see to it that no spurious claims are allowed, I, with the Board, have done all we can to guard against such things. Air. Moorsspent a lot of his valuable time over t:ic Hoard, and In declined any remuneration, The British Government could not allow his sarvicus to be given without sonic acknowledgment, so I have a°ked you to meet here to-day to drink Mr. Moors health, and to a>k Mr. Moors to accept this salvor as a slight recognition of the services he has rendered to the British Military Occupying Force, I ask you to drink health ant prosperity to Mr, Moors,'' A solid silver salver, inscribed with the words : " Presented to H. J. Moors ns a slight recognition of services rendered to British Military Occupation of SftWoa

191.")," was {then handed to Mr. Moors. Mr. Moors was greeted with applause.

He was, ho said, surprised beyond measure tli.it his slight ser.-ices had evoked such response as had been called forth. He was sure his efforts had been overvalued. He felt that the present gathering must have been very much prompted by the representations of Colonel Logan himself, „ whose great heart was open to do generous'.deeds. whenever it was possible. Certainly he had sat on the Commission to determine the awards that ought, to be made, but that the evidence for and against had been so carefully and fairly presented by Captains Anderson and Cotton that the work had been much lightened. Some evidence had been heard, and some arguments bad taken* place. Mr. Moors cheerfully .agreed that .a number of the claims themselves were •preposterous, and had justly been dismissed; while other deserving claims received awards which he felt were,perhaps inadequate,.but the 'Commission, which ■' might have been more generous, was bound by-precedents, and by usages of war which were > insurmountable, aud honest ones. To sit on such a Claims Board was to occupy a verj; .difficult position, and rendered one liable to incur enmities which might be lasting ones', but someone had to take on such unhappy experiences, and for his own part, Mr. Moor's had never avoided them, though he would always be glad to be excused. When the Expeditionary Forces arrived here he hi 1 welcomed them, as in this war he strongly sympathised with the Brittanic Allies. And he knew that New Zealand had pent here some of her best beloved sons, the very salt of the colony. He called attention to the fact that the Administrator had now established a complete working Cove-n-nent, the Post Office, the Customs, the Courts, aud all the sections were moving harmoniously and well, and that there was no room for dissatisfaction. It was particularly gratifying to him to have conqiored the Administrator's good opinion, for not many months and on the very steps of the Court House, Colonel Logan had practically told him that he was worse than a plague of grasshoppers. Probably at the time the Colonel was a bit impetuous, and he himself was lacking in t'iet or was insufficiently lucid. However, that, was merely a passiug ami amusing phase of a sin ill difference which was long since forgotten. He thanked the Administrator for th? splendid gift of a,beautiful piece of plate, and felt that he was indeed hardly deservuig of any such pronounced distinction. Before closing lie wished all present to drink to the health of His Majesty King George the Fifth, and to the success of the British Nation and Allies, after which " God save the King ' was sung. The proceedings terminated with three hearty; eheers for Mr. and Mrs. Moors. Mam- of those present then took the opportunity to personally fonder to Mr. and Mrs. Moors their felicitations.

Amongst l-liosc present we noticed: His Excellency Colonel and Mrs. Lognn; Mrs. Mitchell; Ah Tsing, Chinese Consul; Very Rev. Father Bellwald; Judge and Mrs. Roberts; R. M. Watson, Esq., Acting Judge; Captain A. L. Tottenham ; Captain R. C. Smith ; T. Trood, Esq., Assistant Native Judge; Lieutenant Cotton, Military Secretary, and Mrs. Cotton; A. Loibl, Esq., Financial Secretary; I*. rsash, Esq., Commissioner of Police; J. Pye-Smith,Esq., Chinese Commissioner, J. H. Robertson, Esq., .Collector of Customs; E. E. Coghlah, Esq., Postmaster; E. W, Beaglohole, Esq., M.A., Director of Kducation; Lieutenant F. J. H. Wollerman, Censor, and Mrs. Wollerman; Matron Atkinson; S. J. Smith, Esq., Sectetary, and Mrs. Smith; Warrant Officer Allen, Harbourmaster; Malietoa Tanu ; Tupua Tamasese j Afamasagaj Rev! (I. Wells-Smailes; Rev. C. J. Kinnersley ; Mr. and. Mrs. KeelingMr. (.'. V. and Mrs. Ailoni; Mr. A. J. and Mrs. Tattersall; Messrs. A. R. Cobcroft, C. Heltesoe, G. E. L. Westbrook, H. E. Ren, G. HayMackenzie and J. Ah Sue.