RULE BY MANDATE

Southland Times, Issue 20641, 13 November 1928, Page 15

RULE BY MANDATE

NEW ZEALAND AND SAMOA. DISCUSSION AT GENEVA. ADMINISTRATION VINDICATED. London, September 7. A very important question which came before the Council of the League, at Geneva on August 31, was the report of the Mandates Commission dealing with the recent trouble in Samoa. In June the news reached London that the members were unanimous in agreeing that the Royal Commission’s report was a true and impartial statement of the facts, that the ex-Administrator of Samoa, General Richardson, had acted all along in the interests of the population, and that the administration of the mandate had been entirely satisfactory. The Council last Saturday endorsed the observations of the Mandates Commission and instructed the Sec-retary-General to communicate them to the New Zealand Government. The Marquis Theodoli, president of the Mandates Commission, in summarizing the report, said that the existence of the commission should not hamper local authorities in their efforts to maintain order and i respect for authority, for such a situation would constitute an unfortunate example for other territories. He would think it most unfortunate if 300 or 400 persons who had been arrested could believe that they had been able to avoid their sentence of six months’ imprisonment simply by reference to Geneva. “Intriguing” Half-castes. The commission wished the New Zealand Government to know that it was strongly supported by the commission in its efforts to maintain order and respect for the authorities. The first duty of a Mandatory Power was to maintain order and prevent any unjust and illegal assumption of authority by anybody. With regard to the natives the commission said it had no ground to believe that, left to themselves, they would have shown serious discontent. How, therefore, had half-castes been able to stir up the natives? It should be realized that some of these halfcastes were rich, intriguing and active in political affairs, that they had no fear of employing all means of action, and that they had even gone so far as to endeavour to create a movement toward independence. It was possible, the commission remarked, that the Administration itself had unconsciously provided a weapon for these agitators on account of certain imprudent speeches that had been made in Parliament by representatives of the Government concerning the election of natives in representative councils. A tribute should, however, be rendered to the disinterestedness and to the reforming zeal of the ex-Administrator, while recognizing that this zeal had, perhaps, sought to achieve certain reforms too hastily. Deportation of Mr. Nelson. In regard to public health it was remarked that the Administration had done excellent work, which its adversaries had presented to the natives in a false light, as was true also in the case of land tenure. The Mandates Commission approved the deportation of Mr O. F. Nelson, which he thought should be maintained as long as he refused to give securities for submission. The conclusion is that the whole trouble in Samoa was raised by three agitators, led by Mr Nelson. The Dutch Rapporteur to the Council in commenting on the importance of the re-

port, said that it should be clearly understood that a Mandatory Power remained alone responsible for maintaining law and order.